The hypotenuse of a right triangle is 13 cm. The other two sides differ by 7 cm. Let the shorter side be x cm, so the longer is (x + 7) cm. Use Pythagoras to form a quadratic and solve by factorisation. What is the length of the shorter side (in cm)?

Question

Accepted Answer

5. x^2 + (x+7)^2 = 13^2 gives 2x^2 + 14x - 120 = 0, i.e. x^2 + 7x - 60 = 0 = (x + 12)(x - 5). x = 5 (reject -12). Shorter side = 5 cm.

The hypotenuse of a right triangle is 13 cm. The other two sides differ by 7 cm.
Let the shorter side be $x$ cm, so the longer is $(x + 7)$ cm. Use Pythagoras to form a quadratic and solve by factorisation.
What is the length of the shorter side (in cm)?

Step-by-Step Solution

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More Class 10 Solving by Factorisation practice

The hypotenuse of a right triangle is 13 cm. The other two sides differ by 7 cm.Let the shorter side be x cm, so the longer is (x+7) cm. Use Pythagoras to form a quadratic and solve by factorisation.What is the length of the shorter side (in cm)?

Step-by-Step Solution

Master this chapter in 30 minutes a day.

More Class 10 Solving by Factorisation practice

The hypotenuse of a right triangle is 13 cm. The other two sides differ by 7 cm.
Let the shorter side be $x$ cm, so the longer is $(x + 7)$ cm. Use Pythagoras to form a quadratic and solve by factorisation.
What is the length of the shorter side (in cm)?