Question

65 yd. 63 yd. what is the length of the missing leg? if necessary, round to the nearest tenth. b = yards

Explanation:

Step1: Apply Pythagorean theorem

In a right - triangle, $a^{2}+b^{2}=c^{2}$, where $c$ is the hypotenuse and $a$ and $b$ are the legs. Here, $c = 65$ yd and $a=63$ yd. We want to find $b$, so $b=\sqrt{c^{2}-a^{2}}$.

Step2: Substitute values

$b=\sqrt{65^{2}-63^{2}}=\sqrt{(65 + 63)(65 - 63)}$ (using the difference - of - squares formula $x^{2}-y^{2}=(x + y)(x - y)$). First, calculate $(65 + 63)(65 - 63)=(128)\times(2)=256$. Then $b=\sqrt{256}$.

Step3: Calculate square root

$b = 16$ yd

Answer:

16