In a right triangle with legs 3 and 4, what is the length of the hypotenuse?

In a right triangle with legs 3 and 4, what is the length of the hypotenuse?

• A. 6
• B. 5
• C. 7
• D. 4

Answer: (B)

In a right triangle, the sides follow the Pythagorean theorem: a^2 + b^2 = c^2, where c is the hypotenuse, the longest side. With legs 3 and 4, compute 3^2 + 4^2 = 9 + 16 = 25, so the hypotenuse is √25 = 5. This 3-4-5 setup is a classic Pythagorean triple, which is why the hypotenuse comes out to 5. The other options don’t fit because their squares don’t add up to 25, and they aren’t longer than both legs.

In a right triangle, the sides follow the Pythagorean theorem: a^2 + b^2 = c^2, where c is the hypotenuse, the longest side. With legs 3 and 4, compute 3^2 + 4^2 = 9 + 16 = 25, so the hypotenuse is √25 = 5. This 3-4-5 setup is a classic Pythagorean triple, which is why the hypotenuse comes out to 5. The other options don’t fit because their squares don’t add up to 25, and they aren’t longer than both legs.