Multiple choice

Which of the following options would be the measure of shorter side of a right angled triangle with hypotenuse as 15 cm and length of longer side as 12 cm?

  1. 6 cm

  2. 9 cm

  3. 11 cm

  4. None of the above
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

In a right-angled triangle, the Pythagorean theorem states a^2 + b^2 = c^2, where c is the hypotenuse. Given c = 15 and one side = 12, the other side is sqrt(15^2 - 12^2) = sqrt(225 - 144) = sqrt(81) = 9 cm.

AI explanation

Using the Pythagorean theorem, the square of the hypotenuse equals the sum of the squares of the other two sides. Substitute the hypotenuse as 15 cm and the longer side as 12 cm to get 15^2 = 12^2 + shorter_side^2. This gives 225 = 144 + shorter_side^2. Subtracting 144 from 225 leaves 81. Taking the square root of 81 gives the shorter side as 9 cm.

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