Question

What does the pythagorean theorem mean?

Answer 1

The Pythagorean Theorem is a mathematical formula that is used to find the missing side of a right angled triangle, and is given as:

`a^2 + b^2 = c^2`

which can be rearranged to give either:
`b^2 = c^2-a^2`
`a^2= c^2-b^2`

The side `c` is always the hypotenuse, or the longest side of the triangle, and the two remaining sides, `a` and `b` can be interchanged as either the adjacent side of the triangle or the opposite side.

When finding the hypotenuse, the equation results in adding the sides, and when finding any other side, the equation results in the subtraction of the sides.