One of the legs of a right triangle measures 3 cm and the other leg measures 18 cm. Find the measure of the hypotenuse. If necessary, round to the nearest tenth.
Using the Pythagorean theorem, we have:
h^2 = 3^2 + 18^2
h^2 = 9 + 324
h^2 = 333
h = √333
We can round this to the nearest tenth by using a calculator or estimating:
h ≈ 18.2 cm
Therefore, the measure of the hypotenuse is approximately 18.2 cm.
To find the measure of the hypotenuse, we can use the Pythagorean theorem, which states that in a right triangle, the sum of the squares of the two legs is equal to the square of the hypotenuse.
Using this formula, we have:
Leg₁² + Leg₂² = Hypotenuse²
Substituting the given measurements, we have:
3² + 18² = Hypotenuse²
Simplifying:
9 + 324 = Hypotenuse²
333 = Hypotenuse²
To find the measure of the hypotenuse, we need to take the square root of both sides:
Hypotenuse = √333 ≈ 18.2496
Rounding to the nearest tenth:
Hypotenuse ≈ 18.2 cm
Therefore, the measure of the hypotenuse is approximately 18.2 cm.