The shorter leg of a right triangle is 8 meters. The hypotenuse is 2meters longer than the longer leg. Find the length of the longer leg.
A) 16 meters
B) 9 meters
C) 15 meters
D) 17 meters
E) 34 meters

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Let the longer leg be x. Then, by the Pythagorean Theorem: 
$x^2 + 8^2 = (x+2)^2$
Solving for x:
$x^2 + 64 = x^2 + 4x + 4$
$4x = 60$
$x = 15$
Therefore, the longer leg is 15 meters, which is choice C.

The Shorter Leg of a Right Triangle Is 8 Meters