Question

one of the legs of a right triangle measures 1 cm and its hypotenuse measures 17 cm. find the measure of the other leg, if necessary, round to the nearest tenth.

Explanation:

Step1: Recall Pythagorean theorem

For right triangle: $a^2 + b^2 = c^2$, where $c$ is hypotenuse, $a=1$, $c=17$.

Step2: Isolate unknown leg

Rearrange to solve for $b$: $b = \sqrt{c^2 - a^2}$

Step3: Substitute values and calculate

$b = \sqrt{17^2 - 1^2} = \sqrt{289 -1} = \sqrt{288} = 12\sqrt{2} \approx 16.97$

Step4: Round to nearest tenth

Round $16.97$ to $17.0$

Answer:

$\boldsymbol{17.0}$ cm