Question

select the correct answer.
one leg of a right triangle is 10 units, and its hypotenuse is 12 units. what is the length of the other leg?
a. about 7 units
b. about 15 units
c. about 25 units
d. about 122 units
e. about 224 units

Explanation:

Step1: Apply Pythagorean theorem

Let \(a = 10\), \(c=12\), and \(b\) be the unknown leg. By \(a^{2}+b^{2}=c^{2}\), we get \(b^{2}=c^{2}-a^{2}\).

Step2: Substitute values

Substitute \(a = 10\) and \(c = 12\) into \(b^{2}=c^{2}-a^{2}\), so \(b^{2}=12^{2}-10^{2}=144 - 100=44\).

Step3: Solve for \(b\)

Take square - root of \(b^{2}=44\), \(b=\sqrt{44}\approx6.63\approx7\)

Answer:

A. about 7 units