Question

molly set up the equation incorrectly. she doesnt need to square the length of the legs of the right triangle: 48 + 27 = c². molly set up the equation incorrectly. the diagonal of the tv is one leg of the right triangle she needs to use, so her equation should be (27)² + b² = (48)². molly set up the equation correctly. the length and width of the tv are the two legs of the right triangle for which she is finding the diagonal. molly set up the equation incorrectly. she doesnt need to square the length of the diagonal of the right triangle: (27)² + (48)² = c.

Explanation:

To find the diagonal of a rectangular TV (which forms the hypotenuse \( c \) of a right triangle with the length and width as the legs), we use the Pythagorean theorem: \( a^{2}+b^{2}=c^{2} \). If the length is 48 and the width is 27, the equation \( (27)^{2}+(48)^{2}=c^{2} \) (implied by the correct statement's context) follows the theorem. The other options have errors: the first ignores squaring legs, the second misidentifies the diagonal as a leg, and the fourth incorrectly avoids squaring the hypotenuse.

Answer:

Molly set up the equation correctly. The length and width of the TV are the two legs of the right triangle for which she is finding the diagonal.