Problema Solution
The hypotenuse of a right triangle is 7 feet long. One leg of the triangle is 5 feet longer then the other leg.
Find the perimeter of the triangle.
Answer provided by our tutors
Let 'a' represent one leg then the 5 feet longer leg is 'a + 5'.
c = 7 ft is the hypotenuse
Using the Pythagorean Theorem we can write:
a^2 + (a + 5)^2 = c^2
a^2 + (a + 5)^2 = 7^2
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click here to see the equation solved for a
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a = 1.77 ft
a + 5 = 1.77 + 5 = 6.77 ft
The perimeter of the triangle is:
P = a + a + 5 + c
P = 1.77 + 6.77 + 7
P = 15.54 ft