what is the length of the missing leg if necessary round to the nearest tenth 80 m 64m and b at the bottom is missing

1 answer

To find the length of the missing leg (let's call it leg \(b\)) of a right triangle given the lengths of the other two legs (80 m and 64 m), we can use the Pythagorean theorem. The Pythagorean theorem states:

\[ a^2 + b^2 = c^2 \]

Where:

  • \(c\) is the length of the hypotenuse,
  • \(a\) and \(b\) are the lengths of the legs.

In your case, it seems like you have two legs (assuming 80 m and 64 m) and need to find the third leg. Let's assume 80 m is one leg and 64 m is the other leg.

The formula can be rearranged based on which leg you are missing:

  1. If 80 m is the hypotenuse: \[ b^2 + 64^2 = 80^2 \] \[ b^2 + 4096 = 6400 \] \[ b^2 = 6400 - 4096 \] \[ b^2 = 2304 \] \[ b = \sqrt{2304} \approx 48.0 \text{ m} \]

  2. If 64 m is the hypotenuse: \[ 80^2 + b^2 = 64^2 \] This would not make sense because \(80 > 64\).

Thus, the only scenario where \(b\) is missing is when it's the shorter leg, which is 48.0 m.

So, the length of the missing leg \(b\) is approximately 48.0 m (rounded to the nearest tenth).