Question

in a right triangle, a and b are the lengths of the legs and c is the length of the hypotenuse. if b = 80 yards and c = 100 yards, what is a? if necessary, round to the nearest tenth. a = yards

Explanation:

Step1: Apply Pythagorean theorem

In a right - triangle, $a^{2}+b^{2}=c^{2}$, so $a^{2}=c^{2}-b^{2}$.

Step2: Substitute given values

Given $b = 80$ and $c = 100$, then $a^{2}=100^{2}-80^{2}=10000 - 6400=3600$.

Step3: Solve for a

$a=\sqrt{3600}=60$.

Answer:

60