Question

eduardo takes a sheet of paper and makes a diagonal cut from one corner to the opposite corner, making two triangles. the cut he makes is 15 centimeters long and the width of the paper is 12 centimeters. what is the papers length? centimeters

Explanation:

Step1: Apply Pythagorean theorem

Let the length of the paper be \( l \). According to the Pythagorean theorem \( a^{2}+b^{2}=c^{2} \), where \( c = 15\) (diagonal), \( a = 12\) (width), and \( b=l\) (length). So \(l^{2}+12^{2}=15^{2}\).

Step2: Simplify the equation

\(l^{2}+144 = 225\). Then \(l^{2}=225 - 144\).

Step3: Calculate \(l^{2}\)

\(l^{2}=81\).

Step4: Find \(l\)

Take the square root of both sides. Since length is positive, \(l=\sqrt{81}=9\).

Answer:

9