Hypotenuse

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The hypotenuse of a right triangle is the triangle's longest side; the side opposite the right angle.

The length of the hypotenuse of a right triangle can be found using the Pythagorean theorem, which states that the square of the length of the hypothenuse equals the sum of the squares of the lengths of the two other sides. For example, if one of the other sides has a length of three metres (when squared, 9m) and the other has a length of four metres (when squared, 16m), their squares add up to 25m. The root of this number is 5, so the length of the hypotenuse is five metres.

[edit] Reference

• Weisstein, Eric W., Hypotenuse at MathWorld.