One leg of a right triangle has a length of 7 centimeters. The other sides have lengths that are consecutive integers.find these lengths.

Question

right triangles

Answer 1

You know by the Pythagorean theorem that a² +b² = c² where a and b are the legs of the triangle and c is the hypotenuse or longest side. When they say the other two legs are consecutive integers, that means that x = x+1 or in this case c = b+1. By substituting c = b+1 and 7cm into the Pythagorean theorem, you will get:

7² + b² = (b+1)²

FOIL the b+1 and get all the b's on one side (b² will cancel since you have +1b² on both sides). You should be able to solve for b. Then, use that value to get c since you know c = b+1. Check it by plugging your values back into the Pythagorean theorem.

Answer 2

Do you know the Pythagorean triple: 7-24-25?

Answer: The other two sides are 24 cm and 25 cm.