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)

Responses

23–√ cm
2
3
cm
2 Start Root 3 End Root cm

22–√ cm
2
2
cm
2 Start Root 2 End Root cm

2 cm
2 cm

42–√ cm

1 answer

In a 45-45-90 triangle, the relationship between the lengths of the legs and the hypotenuse can be derived from the properties of a 45-45-90 triangle.

The lengths of the legs (let's call them \( x \)) are related to the hypotenuse (let's call it \( h \)) by the formula:

\[ h = x\sqrt{2} \]

In this case, the hypotenuse given is 4 cm:

\[ 4 = x\sqrt{2} \]

To find the length of the leg, \( x \), we can solve for \( x \):

\[ x = \frac{4}{\sqrt{2}} \]

To simplify \( x \):

\[ x = \frac{4\sqrt{2}}{2} = 2\sqrt{2} \text{ cm} \]

Thus, the length of each leg of the triangle is \( 2\sqrt{2} \) cm.

The correct response is: 2√2 cm