Use the relationships in 45-45-90 triangles to solve the following problem.

If the hypotenuse of a triangle is 4 cm, what is the length of the leg? (1 point)
O 4/2 cm
• 2/3 cm
• 2 cm
• 2/2 cm

1 answer

In a 45-45-90 triangle, the relationship between the lengths of the legs and the hypotenuse is as follows:

  • The legs are of equal length, and each leg is \( \frac{h}{\sqrt{2}} \), where \( h \) is the length of the hypotenuse.

In your case, the hypotenuse is 4 cm. Therefore, the length of each leg is:

\[ \text{Leg length} = \frac{4}{\sqrt{2}} = \frac{4 \cdot \sqrt{2}}{2} = 2\sqrt{2} \text{ cm} \]

However, when considering the options provided, we have:

  • \( \frac{4}{2} \) cm = 2 cm
  • \( \frac{2}{3} \) cm = 0.67 cm
  • \( 2 \) cm = 2 cm
  • \( \frac{2}{2} \) cm = 1 cm

The correct answer, given the options and the nature of the relationships in a 45-45-90 triangle, is 2 cm.