Does it matter which legs of the triangle you label as 'a' and 'b' from the formula?

Question

Does it matter which legs of the triangle you label as 'a' and 'b' from the formula?

Answer 1

If you're talking about the Pythagorean Theorem for RIGHT triangles, i.e. a² + b² = c² then it only matters that "c" be the hypotenuse: the side opposite the right angle, the longest side. "a" and "b" are the "legs" of the right triangle, on equal footing ;) as far as Pythagoras is concerned.

Later, when dealing with oblique (not right) triangles, the sides of the triangle will be given names that are related to the angles opposite them, so which side is "a" and which is "b" will matter!