The Pythagorean states that a2 + b2 = c2 for a right triangle, where a and b are the lengths of the legs of the right triangle, and c is the length of the hypotenuse (the diagonal side).
Say you are given a triangle with legs of lengths 3 and 4, and need to find the length of the hypotenuse. You can write the equation
32 + 42 = c2, where c is the length of the hypotenuse.
This gives
25 = c2, and taking the square root of both sides of the equation gives
5 = c, so the length of the hypotenuses in this case is 5.
Another example:
Say you have a right triangle where the length of one leg is 12 and the length of the hypotenuse is 13, and you need to find the length of the other leg. You can write the equation
a2 + 122 = 132, where a is the length of the unknown leg.
Solving:
a2 + 144 = 169
a2 = 25
a = 5, so in this case, the length of the unknown leg is 5.
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The Pythagorean Theorem allows the mathematician to determine the value of the hypotenuse. The converse of the Pythagorean Theorem manipulates the formula so that the mathematician can use the values to determine that if the triangle is a right triangle.
Yes.
The Pythagorean theorem can be used to find distances between two points on a graph. It can also be used to measure unknown heights of things, like a television. In baseball, one could use the Pythagorean theorem to figure out how far a second baseman has to throw in order to get an out at home plate.
The Pythagorean Theorem states that in a right triangle with legs a and b and hypotenuse c, a2 + b2 = c2. The converse of the Pythagorean theorem states that, if in a triangle with sides a, b, c, a2 + b2 = c2 then the triangle is right and the angle opposite side c is a right angle.
If needed, I guess. I do not see lawyers needing the Pythagorean Theory in their work and lawyers are notoriously ignorant of math and science.