3 Vocabulary Terms - Define/Illustrate
1. Hypotenuse 2. Legs 3. Pythagorean Theorem
1. Hypotenuse: In a right triangle, the side opposite the right angle is called the hypotenuse. It is the longest side of the triangle.
Illustration: In a right triangle with sides of lengths 3, 4, and 5, the side opposite the right angle (5) is the hypotenuse.
2. Legs: In a right triangle, the two shorter sides that form the right angle are called the legs. The legs are perpendicular to each other.
Illustration: In a right triangle with sides of lengths 3, 4, and 5, the sides of lengths 3 and 4 are the legs.
3. Pythagorean Theorem: The Pythagorean Theorem 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 two legs. It can be written as a^2 + b^2 = c^2, where a and b are the lengths of the legs and c is the length of the hypotenuse.
Illustration: In a right triangle with legs of lengths 3 and 4, the Pythagorean Theorem would be written as 3^2 + 4^2 = 5^2.