Question

in a right triangle, a and b are the lengths of the legs and c is the length of the hypotenuse. if a = 68 kilometers and b = 51 kilometers, what is c? if necessary, round to the nearest tenth.

c = kilometers

Explanation:

Step1: Apply Pythagorean theorem

In a right - triangle, $c^{2}=a^{2}+b^{2}$, where $a = 68$ and $b = 51$.
So $c^{2}=68^{2}+51^{2}$.

Step2: Calculate $a^{2}$ and $b^{2}$

$68^{2}=68\times68 = 4624$ and $51^{2}=51\times51=2601$.
Then $c^{2}=4624 + 2601=7225$.

Step3: Find $c$

Take the square root of $c^{2}$. So $c=\sqrt{7225}=85$.

Answer:

85