Problema Solution

a brace for a shelf has the shape of a right triangle. Its hypotenuse is 12 inches long and the two legs are equal in length. How long are the legs of the triangle

Answer provided by our tutors

let 'a' represent the length of each of the legs, a>0


c = 12 in the length of the hypotenuse


using the Pythagorean Theorem we have:


a^2 + a^2 = c^2


2a^2 = 12^2


by solving we find:


a = 8.49 in


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the legs of the triangle are 8.49 inches long each.