Question

one of the legs of a right triangle measures 7 cm and the other leg measures 15 cm. find the measure of the hypotenuse. if necessary, round to the nearest tenth.

Explanation:

Step1: Apply Pythagorean theorem

$$c^2 = a^2 + b^2$$ where $a=7$, $b=15$

Step2: Calculate sum of squared legs

$$c^2 = 7^2 + 15^2 = 49 + 225 = 274$$

Step3: Solve for hypotenuse

$$c = \sqrt{274} \approx 16.55$$

Step4: Round to nearest tenth

$16.55$ rounds to $16.6$

Answer:

$\boldsymbol{16.6}$ cm