The shorter leg of a right triangle is 5 yards. If the hypotenuse is 13 yards, how long is the other leg?
A) 12 yards
B) 10 yards
C) 11 yards
D) 7 yards
E) 9 yards

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The Pythagorean theorem states that in a right triangle, 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). Given a=5 yards and c=13 yards, we can solve for b: $c^2 = a^2 + b^2$ becomes $13^2 = 5^2 + b^2$, which simplifies to $169 = 25 + b^2$. Subtracting 25 from both sides gives $b^2 = 144$, and taking the square root of both sides gives $b = 12$ yards.

The Shorter Leg of a Right Triangle Is 5 Yards