Question

in a right triangle, a and b are the lengths of the legs and c is the length of the hypotenuse. if a = 1.5 meters and c = 2.2 meters, what is b? if necessary, round to the nearest tenth. b = meters

Explanation:

Step1: Apply Pythagorean theorem

In a right - triangle, $a^{2}+b^{2}=c^{2}$. We want to find $b$, so we can rewrite the formula as $b=\sqrt{c^{2}-a^{2}}$.

Step2: Substitute given values

Substitute $a = 1.5$ and $c = 2.2$ into the formula: $b=\sqrt{2.2^{2}-1.5^{2}}=\sqrt{4.84 - 2.25}=\sqrt{2.59}$.

Step3: Calculate the value of $b$

$\sqrt{2.59}\approx1.6$ (rounded to the nearest tenth).

Answer:

$1.6$