5
QuizMultiple Choice

Special Right Triangles

Question 5 • RMA FL-1206310-Geometry Semester 2

A right triangle has side lengths 4 units, 5 units, and x units. It is unknown if the missing length is the longest or shortest side.Rounded to the nearest tenth, what is the difference between the possible values of x?

Answer
3
3.0 units
3
3.4 units
6
6.4 units
8
8.0 units

Explanation

If 5 is the hypotenuse, the Pythagorean theorem gives x² + 4² = 5², so x = 3. If x is the hypotenuse, then x² = 4² + 5² = 41, so x ≈ 6.4. The difference is about 6.4 − 3 = 3.4 units, which is choice B.

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