The Pythagorean Theorem is comprised of a fairly simple formula that only requires us to know some basic concepts of right triangles and the theory behind exponents in order to have all the necessary knowledge for its application.
The formula of the Pythagorean Theorem can be expressed symbolically in the following way:
Hypotenuse2 = firstLeg2 + secondLeg2
Which the theorem obeys, saying in simple terms: “the number of units that make up the hypotenuse raised to the second power is equal to the sum of the measurements of both legs raised to the second power”.
Understanding the formula of the Pythagorean Theorem can be a little complicated when we apply it to different math problems where we need to find the value of one of the sides of a right triangle given the other two sides. This is because in order to find the desired value, we have to know the basic theory of roots and exponents, so understanding these can make application of the formula of the Pythagorean Theorem easier.
So, if we want to find the value of the hypotenuse when we know the values of both of the legs that make up the right triangle, we have to use the following formula which comes from the basic formula of the Pythagorean Theorem:
Hypotenuse = √ firstLeg2 + secondLeg2
On the other hand, if we want to know the value of the first leg of the right triangle, we have to solve for this variable in the equation, giving us the following:
firstLeg= √ Hypotenuse2 – secondLeg2
Similarly, we can find the value of the second leg by applying the following mathematical formula derived from the Pythagorean Theorem:
secondLeg= √ Hypotenuse2 – firstLeg2
As you can see, applying the formula of the Pythagorean Theorem isn’t a big deal if we have the basic knowledge needed to do it. Paying attention to your math teacher, along with the incredible amount of information you can find online, will help you understand the usefulness of the Pythagorean Theorem and learn how to apply its formula.
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