Question

What is the length of the hypotenuse of a right triangle if the two other sides are of lengths 5 and 6?

Answer 1

Apply the Pythagorean Theorem to find that the hypotenuse has length `sqrt(61)`

Explanation:

The Pythagorean Theorem states that the square of the hypotenuse of a right triangle is equal to the sum of the squares of its legs. That is, for a right triangle with legs `a` and `b` and hypotenuse `c`, `a^2 + b^2 = c^2`.

Applying this here, if the length of the hypotenuse is `c`, we have

`5^2 + 6^2 = c^2`

`=> c^2 = 25 + 36 = 61`

`=> c = sqrt(61)`