Pythagorean Theorem
Subject:
Algebra [1]
Definition
The longest side of the triangle is called the "hypotenuse", so the formal definition is:
In a right angled triangle the square of the hypotenuse is equal to
the sum of the squares of the other two sides.
So, the square of a (a²) plus the square of b (b²) is equal to the square of c (c²):
a2 + b2 = c2
Sure ... ?
Let's see if it really works using an example. A "3,4,5" triangle has a right angle in it, so the formula should work.
Let's check if the areas are the same:
32 + 42 = 52
Calculating this becomes:
9 + 16 = 25
Yes, it works !
Why Is This Useful?