Find the opposite length of the triangle with hypotenuse length 5 and adjacent length 4.
I would start off by asking them if they know the Pythagoras theorem. If they don't, I would refresh their memory and explain that its a2+b2=c2 where c is the hypotenuse (longest length). I would then ask them to draw out the triangle to help them visualise it and ask them to label the sides with a, b or c. Following this, I would ask the student to substitute the values given in the question into the equation and rearrange it so a is in the front and then go on to solve the equation.
So b=4 and c=5. a2+42=52 hence a2=52-42. a2=25-16=9. a2=9 so a=3
Once solved, I would ask them another question of the same topic and without prompts, ask them to solve it themselves to see where their understanding might be hindered. I would go through the steps with them again. 1) Draw the triangle 2)Label the sides with a,b or c and their values 3) enter the values into the equation a2+b2=c2 4)solve the equation
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