We are given a right angled triangle with one side of unknown length. The shortest side is 3cm long, and the longest side is 5cm long. Calculate the remaining side.

This is a classic question testing your understanding of Pythagoras' Theorem. This is an equation which shows us the relationship between the 3 sides of a right angled triangle : a2 + b2 = c2. a and b are the shorter sides, while c is the longest (the hypotenuse).For this question, we have a and c, but not b. If we subtract a from the left side of the equation and add it to the right side, we have b2 = c2 - a2. Now we can fill in our values: b2 = 52 - 32, or b2 = 16. Now we take the square root of both sides, and find that b = 4cm.

SM
Answered by Sean M. Maths tutor

2798 Views

See similar Maths GCSE tutors

Related Maths GCSE answers

All answers ▸

Sketch and label the graph of y=x^2 -5x+6


Solve x^2-6x+8=0


Solve algebraically the simultaneous equations: 6m + n = 16 and 5m - 2n = 19


A curve has an equation of y=2x^2 + 7x -8 . Find the co-ordinates of the turning point


We're here to help

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

© MyTutorWeb Ltd 2013–2025

Terms & Conditions|Privacy Policy
Cookie Preferences