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.

The 5-inch and 8-inch sides can both be legs, giving a third side of √(5² + 8²) = √89 ≈ 9.4 inches. Or 8 inches can be the hypotenuse, giving the other leg √(8² − 5²) = √39 ≈ 6.2 inches. Their difference is about 9.4 − 6.2 = 3.2 inches, so the correct choice is 3.2 inches.

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