Find the length of the hypotenuse of a right angled triangle which has other two sides of length 5 and 12.

When we have 2 sides of a right angled triangle, we can use Pythagoras' Theorem to find the third missing side. This theorem states that if we label the hypotenuse (the side opposite the right angle) as c, and the other two sides as a and b, then a2 + b2 = c2. So, looking at the values given in the question we have a = 5 and b = 12. Lets substitute this into Pythagorus' Theorem. this gives c2 = 52 + 122 = 25 + 144 = 169. So, c we can find c by square rooting 169. This gives c = 13 or c = -13, but as a length must be positive, we must have c = 13! So the length of the hypotenuse is 13.

Answered by Andrew Y. Maths tutor

1934 Views

See similar Maths GCSE tutors

Related Maths GCSE answers

All answers ▸

Work out the increase in price from £1.50 to £2.00 as a percentage.


How do I draw a stem and leaf diagram?


There are 150 men, women and children on a plane. For every 7 men there are 2 women, and for every 1 woman there are 3 children. How many men are on the plane?


Given the curve y=x^2 -6x +8, find the turning point.


We're here to help

contact us iconContact usWhatsapp logoMessage us on Whatsapptelephone icon+44 (0) 203 773 6020
Facebook logoInstagram logoLinkedIn logo

© MyTutorWeb Ltd 2013–2024

Terms & Conditions|Privacy Policy