The lengths of two sides of a right triangle are 5 inches and 8 inches. What is the difference between the two possible lengths of the third side of the triangle? Round your answer to the nearest tenth.

If 5 and 8 inches are the legs, the third side is the hypotenuse: √(5² + 8²) = √89 ≈ 9.4 inches. If 8 inches is the hypotenuse and 5 inches is a leg, the third side is √(8² − 5²) = √39 ≈ 6.2 inches. Their difference is about 9.4 − 6.2 = 3.2 inches, so the correct choice is 3 point 2 inches.

AI-written and checked against the verified answer.