Apply the Pythagorean Theorem to find the unknown side length in the given triangle. Round your answer to the nearest tenth.
Side b = 3 Side c = 15 Side a = unknown
a. 216
b. 14.7
c. 15.3
d. 234
To apply the Pythagorean Theorem, we can use the formula a^2 + b^2 = c^2, where a and b are the two legs of the triangle and c is the hypotenuse.
In this case, side b is 3 and side c is 15. Plugging these values into the formula, we get:
a^2 + 3^2 = 15^2
a^2 + 9 = 225
Subtracting 9 from both sides, we have:
a^2 = 216
Taking the square root of both sides, we get:
a ≈ 14.7
Rounding this to the nearest tenth, we get 14.7.
Therefore, the unknown side length, side a, is approximately 14.7.
The correct answer is b. 14.7.