In a right triangle, if one leg is 3 and the hypotenuse is 5, what is the length of the other leg?

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Multiple Choice

In a right triangle, if one leg is 3 and the hypotenuse is 5, what is the length of the other leg?

Explanation:
Pythagorean relation links the two legs and the hypotenuse in a right triangle. If one leg is 3 and the hypotenuse is 5, set the other leg as x and write 3^2 + x^2 = 5^2. That gives 9 + x^2 = 25, so x^2 = 16 and x = 4 (positive length). The other values wouldn’t satisfy the equation: for 2, 9+4 ≠ 25; for 3, 9+9 ≠ 25; for 5, 9+25 ≠ 25. The other leg is 4.

Pythagorean relation links the two legs and the hypotenuse in a right triangle. If one leg is 3 and the hypotenuse is 5, set the other leg as x and write 3^2 + x^2 = 5^2. That gives 9 + x^2 = 25, so x^2 = 16 and x = 4 (positive length). The other values wouldn’t satisfy the equation: for 2, 9+4 ≠ 25; for 3, 9+9 ≠ 25; for 5, 9+25 ≠ 25. The other leg is 4.

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