Right triangle

Question

in a right triangle, if the lengths of the legs are 10 and 24, the length of the hypotenuse is 

a) 17

b) 26

c) 34

d) 38

Answer 1

Or, you might recognize that this right triangle, with given legs of 10 & 24, is a doubled version of the familiar 5-12-13 triangle.

 

This shows the importance of (1) pattern recognition, and (2) memorization of several basic PYTHAGOREAN TRIPLES.

 

Memorization (of key facts) is a very good thing--it makes you more efficient and effective.

Answer 2

Annie,

 

Use the Pythagorean Theorem to solve this:

 

The sum of the squares of the 2 legs equal the square of the hypotenuse:

 

a² + b² = h²

 

10² + 24² = h²

 

100 + 576 = h²

 

676 = h²

 

√676 = h

 

26 = h (the length of the hypotenuse)