Pearson Geometry Common Core, 2011
PG
Pearson Geometry Common Core, 2011 View details
1. The Pythagorean Theorem and Its Converse
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Exercise 3 Page 495

4

Practice makes perfect
To find the missing side of the triangle, we will use the Pythagorean Theorem. a^2+b^2=c^2

In the formula, a and b are the legs and c is the hypotenuse of a right triangle. We are given a triangle with a=x, b=3, and c=5.

Let's substitute these values into the formula and solve for x.
a^2+b^2=c^2
x^2+ 3^2= 5^2
â–Ľ
Solve for x
x^2+9=25
x^2=16
x=sqrt(16)
x=4
Since a negative side length does not make sense, we only need to consider positive solutions.