Geometry and TrigonometryEasy–MediumPythagorean theorem
Geometry and Trigonometry practice question
A right triangle has legs of length 6 and 8. What is the length of the hypotenuse?
- A. 10Correct
- B. 12
- C. 14
- D. 48
Answer: A. 10
Hypotenuse² = 6² + 8² = 36 + 64 = 100, so the hypotenuse = 10. This is the famous 3-4-5 triangle scaled by 2.
Why the other answers are wrong
- B. 12
- 12 doesn't come from any step of the Pythagorean theorem — it's a decoy. Compute 6² + 8² = 100 and take the square root to get 10.
- C. 14
- 14 is 6 + 8; the legs add only after you square them: √(36 + 64) = 10.
- D. 48
- 48 is 6 × 8, the product of the legs. The Pythagorean theorem squares each leg, adds, then takes the square root.
More Geometry and Trigonometry questions
- Easy–Medium
A circle has a radius of 6. What is its area? (Use A = πr².) - Easy–Medium
A circle has a radius of 5. What is its circumference? (Use C = 2πr.) - Easy–Medium
What is the midpoint of the segment joining the points (2, 3) and (8, 11)? - Easy–Medium
What is the measure, in degrees, of angle B? - Easy–Medium
What is the area, in square centimeters, of the trapezoid? - Easy–Medium
What is the value of cos A?
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