6. The Converse of the Pythagorean Theorem
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Use the Converse of the Pythagorean Theorem.
Yes.
We are given the lengths of the three sides of a triangle, and want to determine whether the sides form a right triangle. We will need to use the Converse of the Pythagorean Theorem.
Converse of the Pythagorean Theorem |
If the sides of a triangle have lengths a, b, and c, and c^2=a^2+b^2, then the triangle is a right triangle. |
This tells us that we can use the Pythagorean Theorem in reverse to test if a triangle is right. In general, the hypotenuse c has the greatest value. Let's look at the given triangle.
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