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The Pythagorean theorem, which is considered as "One of geometry's most elegant theorems", was discovered by Pythagoras, a brilliant Ancient Greek mathematician, who is known as one of the greatest mathematicians of all time.
The Pythagorean theorem states that in any right triangle, the square of one leg, plus the square of another leg equals the square of the hypotenuse. The hypotenuse is the longest side in a triangle. This theorem is also commonly known as a2+b2=c2 (where 2 is the squared symbol).
Here are some dimensions that offer whole numbers (no decimals) for each side:
3x4x5 triangles:
side a: 3x3 (3 squared)= 9 + side b:4x4 (4 squared)=16. So, 9 + 16=25 (side c squared) and since the square root of 25 is 5, the resulting side is five.
5x12x13 triangles:
5x5=25 + 12x12=144. So: 25+144=169. Now, if you have a calculator handy, find the square root of 169. If you pushed the buttons correctly, you should have gotten thirteen.
8x15x17 triangles:
8x8=64 + 15x15=225. So: 84+225=289. And, of course, the square root of 289 is 17.
However, not all right triangles have beautiful sides like these. One may encounter a triangle with sides of 8 and 7.
So, 7x7=49 + 8x8=64. 49+64=113. So, the answer would just be 113 in a square root symbol, since its exact square root is an irrational number (a number with a never-ending decimal.
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