Question

How do you use the Pythagorean Theorem to find the missing side of the right triangle with the given measures given c is the hypotenuse and we have b = 5, c = 8?

Answer 1

`a = sqrt(39) ~~ 6.245`

Explanation:

Pythagoras tells us that `a^2+b^2 = c^2`

Hence `a^2 = c^2 - b^2`

So: `a = sqrt(c^2 - b^2) = sqrt(8^2-5^2) = sqrt(64-25) = sqrt(39) ~~ 6.245`