Find the length of the longest side of a right angled triangle with the two smaller sides equal to 8 and 15.

As the triangle in the question is a right angled triangle we can use Pythagoras Theorem , a2+b2=c2. c is the size of the longest size which is what we are looking for and a and b are lengths 8 and 15.Therefore c2=82+152, c2=64+225, c2=289, c=sqrt(289), c=17. So the length of the longest side is 17

CP
Answered by Calum P. Maths tutor

3278 Views

See similar Maths GCSE tutors

Related Maths GCSE answers

All answers ▸

Show me why the product of a squared and a cubed is a to the power of 5.


Solve the simultaneous equations: 5x + y = 21 and x - 3y = 9


How do you solve a set of three similatenous equations with three unknown variables?


How do I solve 3x + y = 11 & 2x + y = 8?


We're here to help

contact us iconContact ustelephone icon+44 (0) 203 773 6020
Facebook logoInstagram logoLinkedIn logo

MyTutor is part of the IXL family of brands:

© 2025 by IXL Learning