{"id":137337,"date":"2024-09-12T15:49:26","date_gmt":"2024-09-12T15:49:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/learnexams.com\/blog\/?p=137337"},"modified":"2024-09-12T15:49:28","modified_gmt":"2024-09-12T15:49:28","slug":"which-of-the-following-is-the-length-of-the-unknown-leg-of-a-right-triangle-that-has-one-leg-length-of-5-feet-and-a-hypotenuse-of-17-feet","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.learnexams.com\/blog\/2024\/09\/12\/which-of-the-following-is-the-length-of-the-unknown-leg-of-a-right-triangle-that-has-one-leg-length-of-5-feet-and-a-hypotenuse-of-17-feet\/","title":{"rendered":"Which of the following is the length of the unknown leg of a right triangle that has one leg length of 5 feet and a hypotenuse of 17 feet"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Which of the following is the length of the unknown leg of a right triangle that has one leg length of 5 feet and a hypotenuse of 17 feet? (Round to the nearest tenth.)
A.
18 feet<\/p>\n\n\n\n

B.
14.4 feet<\/p>\n\n\n\n

C.
9.8 feet<\/p>\n\n\n\n

D.
16.2 feet<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The correct answer and Explanation is :<\/strong><\/mark><\/p>\n\n\n\n

To determine the length of the unknown leg in a right triangle where one leg is 5 feet and the hypotenuse is 17 feet, you can use the Pythagorean theorem. The theorem states that in a right triangle, the sum of the squares of the lengths of the two legs is equal to the square of the length of the hypotenuse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let’s denote the unknown leg as ( x ). According to the Pythagorean theorem:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[ a^2 + b^2 = c^2 ]<\/p>\n\n\n\n

where ( a ) and ( b ) are the lengths of the legs of the triangle, and ( c ) is the length of the hypotenuse. In this case:<\/p>\n\n\n\n