Question

The hypotenuse of a right triangle is 5inches long. The shorter leg is 1 inch shorter than the longer leg. Find the side lengths of the triangle.

Length of the shorter leg:

Length of the longer leg:
Length of the hypotenuse:

Answer 1

Answer:

Hypotenuse = 5 in

Longer leg = 4 in

Shorter leg = 3 in

Step-by-step explanation

The longer leg = x

The shorter leg = x - 1

Now through Pythagoras theorem:

hyp^2 = leg1^2 + leg2^2

5^2 = x^2 + (x - 1)^2

25 = x^2 + x^2 - 2 x + 1^2

25 = 2 x^2 - 2 x + 1

2 x^2 - 2 x - 24 = 0

2 ( x^2 - x - 12) = 0

2 (x - 4) (x + 3) =0

then x = 4  or x = - 3

We use the positive answer since we are looking for a length

then longer leg is 4 inches long,

and therefore the shorter one is one inch shorter than 4 in . That is:

shorter leg = 3 inches