If a triangle has sides of length 12 and 16, how long is the hypotenuse? (
To find the length of the hypotenuse in a right triangle, we can use the Pythagorean theorem, which states that in a right triangle, the square of the hypotenuse is equal to the sum of the squares of the other two sides.
Let's assume that the sides of length 12 and 16 are the legs of the right triangle. Therefore, we need to find the length of the hypotenuse.
Using the Pythagorean theorem:
Hypotenuse^2 = Leg_1^2 + Leg_2^2
Hypotenuse^2 = 12^2 + 16^2
Hypotenuse^2 = 144 + 256
Hypotenuse^2 = 400
To find the length of the hypotenuse, we need to take the square root of both sides:
Hypotenuse = √400
Hypotenuse = 20
Therefore, the length of the hypotenuse is 20.