Question

one of the legs of a right triangle measures 9 cm and its hypotenuse measures 15 cm. find the measure of the other leg. if necessary, round to the nearest tenth. answer cm submit answer

Explanation:

Step1: Apply Pythagorean theorem

Let \(a = 9\), \(c=15\), and \(b\) be the unknown leg. The Pythagorean theorem is \(a^{2}+b^{2}=c^{2}\), so \(b^{2}=c^{2}-a^{2}\).

Step2: Substitute values

Substitute \(a = 9\) and \(c = 15\) into \(b^{2}=c^{2}-a^{2}\). Then \(b^{2}=15^{2}-9^{2}=225 - 81=144\).

Step3: Solve for \(b\)

Take the square root of both sides. \(b=\sqrt{144}=12\).

Answer:

\(12\)