In a right triangle with legs 6 and 8, what is the length of the hypotenuse?

In a right triangle with legs 6 and 8, what is the length of the hypotenuse?

• A. 10
• B. 9
• C. 12
• D. 14

Answer: (A)

In a right triangle, the hypotenuse length follows the Pythagorean relationship: c^2 = a^2 + b^2, where a and b are the legs. Here, 6^2 + 8^2 = 36 + 64 = 100, so c = sqrt(100) = 10. So the hypotenuse measures 10. This is also the 6-8-10 triple, a scaled version of 3-4-5. The other options wouldn’t satisfy the equation because their squares don’t add up to the required total.

In a right triangle, the hypotenuse length follows the Pythagorean relationship: c^2 = a^2 + b^2, where a and b are the legs. Here, 6^2 + 8^2 = 36 + 64 = 100, so c = sqrt(100) = 10. So the hypotenuse measures 10. This is also the 6-8-10 triple, a scaled version of 3-4-5. The other options wouldn’t satisfy the equation because their squares don’t add up to the required total.