A right triangle has legs 6 and 8. What is the hypotenuse?

A right triangle has legs 6 and 8. What is the hypotenuse?

• A. 6
• B. 8
• C. 10
• D. 12

Answer: (C)

In a right triangle, the hypotenuse length is found using the Pythagorean relationship: the square of the hypotenuse equals the sum of the squares of the legs. With legs 6 and 8, compute 6^2 + 8^2 = 36 + 64 = 100. The hypotenuse is the square root of that, sqrt(100) = 10. So the hypotenuse is 10. Remember, 6 and 8 are the legs, not the longest side; 12 wouldn’t fit since 12^2 = 144, which doesn’t equal 6^2 + 8^2. The 6-8-10 trio is a classic Pythagorean triple.

In a right triangle, the hypotenuse length is found using the Pythagorean relationship: the square of the hypotenuse equals the sum of the squares of the legs. With legs 6 and 8, compute 6^2 + 8^2 = 36 + 64 = 100. The hypotenuse is the square root of that, sqrt(100) = 10. So the hypotenuse is 10. Remember, 6 and 8 are the legs, not the longest side; 12 wouldn’t fit since 12^2 = 144, which doesn’t equal 6^2 + 8^2. The 6-8-10 trio is a classic Pythagorean triple.