Geometry and TrigonometryHardLeg of an isosceles right triangle from its hypotenuse
Geometry and Trigonometry practice question
A square napkin is folded along a diagonal to make a right triangle whose longest side is 12 centimetres. What is the length, in centimetres, of each of the other two sides? Round to the nearest tenth.
Answer: 8.5
The triangle is isosceles and right, so each leg is 12/√2 = 6√2 ≈ 8.5.
Common wrong answers
- If you answered 6
- 6 halves the hypotenuse; the legs are longer than half of it.
- If you answered 17
- 17 is 12√2, multiplying instead of dividing.
- If you answered 8.7
- 8.7 is 12 × (√3/2), using 60° ratios instead of 45°.
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