Advanced MathMediumShorter leg from a leg ratio and the hypotenuse
Advanced Math practice question
The legs of a right triangle are in the ratio 3 : 4, and the hypotenuse has length 15. What is the length of the shorter leg?
Answer: 9
Let the legs be 3k and 4k: (3k)² + (4k)² = 25k² = 225 → k = 3. The shorter leg is 9.
Common wrong answers
- If you answered 3
- 3 is k, or the unscaled ratio number.
- If you answered 5
- 5 is 15 ÷ 3, dividing the hypotenuse by the ratio number.
- If you answered 12
- 12 is the longer leg.
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