Let's solve the equation step by step.
You were given the equation:
\[ a^2 + 162 = 202 \]
- Evaluate the powers: We need to isolate \(a^2\), which means we'll start by subtracting 162 from both sides:
\[ a^2 = 202 - 162 \]
Calculating the right side:
\[ a^2 = 40 \]
- Isolate the variable: In this case, we have already isolated the variable:
\[ a^2 = 40 \]
- Take the square root of both sides: Now, we take the square root:
\[ a = \sqrt{40} \]
Simplifying \(\sqrt{40}\):
\[ \sqrt{40} = \sqrt{4 \times 10} = 2\sqrt{10} \]
- The missing side length: We can provide the numerical approximation of \(\sqrt{40}\):
\[ a \approx \sqrt{40} \approx 6.32 \text{ (rounded to two decimal places)} \]
If you are looking for the exact form:
\[ a = 2\sqrt{10} \]
So if you want the numerical answer:
The missing side length is approximately \(6.32\) (if rounding to two decimal places) or leave it in exact form as \(2\sqrt{10}\).