A right triangle has a side with length 12 in and a hypotenuse with length 20 in. Find the length of the second leg. (Round to the nearest hundredth if needed)a)16 in.b)15 in.c)23.32 in.d)8 in.Correct answer is option 'A'. Can you explain this answer?

Question

Answer

Since we are working with a right triangle, and we are missing a leg, we can use the Pythagorean Theorem to solve for that missing leg.
Pythagorean Theorem: A² + B² = C²
A = 1 2 B = ? C = 20
12² + B² = 20² Substitute
144 + B² = 400 Simplify
144 - 144 + B² = 400 - 144
Subtract 144 from both sides.
B² = 256 Simplify
Take the square root of both sides.
B = 16

Answer

To find the length of the second leg of the right triangle, we can use the Pythagorean theorem, which states that in a right triangle, the square of the length of the hypotenuse is equal to the sum of the squares of the lengths of the other two sides.

Let's denote the length of the second leg as x. According to the Pythagorean theorem, we have:

x^2 + 12^2 = 20^2

Simplifying the equation, we get:

x^2 + 144 = 400

Subtracting 144 from both sides, we have:

x^2 = 400 - 144

x^2 = 256

Taking the square root of both sides, we get:

x = √256

x = 16

Therefore, the length of the second leg of the right triangle is 16 inches.

Top Courses for Class 10View all

Science Class 10

Social Studies (SST) Class 10

Mathematics (Maths) Class 10

Past Year Papers for Class 10

English Class 10

Top Courses for Class 10

Top Courses for Class 10

Related Content

About Class 10

Class 10 Study Material

Class 10 All Subjects

NCERT Textbook Solutions

Other Classes

Important Links

Company