In a right triangle, one leg measures 4 inches and the other leg measures 6 inches. What is the length of the hypotenuse in inches

Mathematics · High School · Tue Nov 03 2020

Answered on

We know that in a right triangle, we can use the Pythagorean Formula, which is a^2 + b^2 = c^2 where a is one leg, b is the other leg and c is the hypotenuse. 

In our exercise, we have a=4 inches and b=6 inches. 

Lets put these numbers in the formula and find out c which is hypotenuse. 

a^2 + b^2 = c^2 

4^2 + 6^2 = c^2

16 + 36 = c^2

c^2 = 52 inches

c is equal to square root of 52 which is 2 x square root of 13 or 7.2 inches.