determine the value of the unknown side of a

Question

Determine the value of the unknown side of a right triangle:

The two legs of a right triangle are 5 ft and 12 ft.  How long is the hypotenuse? Now Let the hypotenuse be c ft.

a² + b² = c²

122 + 52 = c²

144 + 25 = c²

169 = c²

√169 = c

13 ft = c

By using the Pythagorean Theorem, one can determine the value of the unknown side of a right triangle while given the value of the other two sides.