Question

A right triangle has two perpendicular sides of length 12 inches and 16 inches, respectively. Find out the length of its hypotenuse.

Answer 1

Answer:

If you recognize that it is a Pythagorean Triplet then you can do it in you head. Pythagorean triplets are right triangles where the ratios of the sides are integers. The smallest and perhaps best known triple is the 3:4:5. If you multiply each side by an integer, the result will be another Pythagorean triplet. Example: if you multiply each side of a 3:4:5 right triangle by 4, you end up with a 12:16:20, another Pythagorean triplet. So you see that the hypotenuse of a right triangle with sides 12 & 16 is 20cm. The Answer to the question.