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| Math Central | Quandaries & Queries |
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Question from Lorena, a parent: A wire 24 dm is bent to form a right triangle. The ratio of the shorter leg to the hypotenuse is 3:5. Find the length of the longer leg? |
Hi Lorena,
Suppose the length of the short leg is $a$ dm, the length of the longer leg is $b$ dm and the length of the hypotenuse is $h$ dm. You know three facts
- $a + b + h = 24$
- $\frac35 = \frac{a}{h}$ and
- $a^2 + b^2 = h^2$.
Solve these equations for $b.$
Penny
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