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A right triangle is shown with a leg that measures 15 and a hypotenuse that measures 17.
Find the length of the missing side. The triangle is not drawn to scale.
(2 points)
To find the length of the missing side of the right triangle, we can use the Pythagorean theorem, which states that the square of the length of the hypotenuse (c) is equal to the sum of the squares of the lengths of the other two sides (a and b).
c^2 = a^2 + b^2
Given:
a = 15 (one leg)
c = 17 (hypotenuse)
Substitute the given values into the formula:
17^2 = 15^2 + b^2
289 = 225 + b^2
Subtract 225 from both sides:
289 - 225 = b^2
64 = b^2
Take the square root of both sides to solve for b:
b = √64
b = 8
Therefore, the length of the missing side (b) is 8.