Using the Pythagorean Theorem, how do you find the length of side c given a = 20 , b = 28?

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Answer 1 · 2017-01-17T12:30:14

See the entire solution process below:

The Pythagorean Theorem states, given a right triangle:
$a^2 + b^2 = c^2$

Where $a$ and $b$ are the base and height of the triangle and $c$ is the hypotenuse.

To solve this problem we substitute the values from the problem for $a$ and $b$ and solve for $c$

$20^2 + 28^2 = c^2$

$400 + 784 = c^2$

$1184 = c^2$

$sqrt(1184) = sqrt(c^2)$

$34.4 = c$

$c = 34.4$ rounded to the nearest tenth.