The Pythagorean theorem states that the square of the hypotenuse of a right triangle is equal to the sum of the squares of the two adjacent sides. Don't panic. I will explain this in the simplest terms I know.

First, a right triangle is needed. A right triangle has an angle that looks like this: L. There is also another line that connects with the two points like this: \. For demonstration purposes lest label the vertical like a, the horizontal b, and the angled line c.

Without a right triangle this theorem is pointless. Why? Because the only triangle that has a hypotenuse is a right triangle. What is a hypotenuse? The hypotenuse is the longest line on a right triangle. In the example it is labeled with the letter c. Letters a and b are the sides, sometimes also referred to as legs which for some reason always reminded me of A Chorus Line dancer, so I just call them sides. The theorem states that if you square the measurements of a and b then add them together the sum will be the length of the hypotenuse squared. The equation looks like this: a+b=c

Lets apply this. First assign a and b values. For my example I will say a equals 4, and b is 3. Now put them into the formula: 4+3=c. Now do the math. 4=16, and 3=9. The formula now looks like this: 16+9=c. Again do the math. 16+9=25. This means that c=25. To determine the length of c all that would need to be done now is to find the square root of 25, which is 5.

The definition of the Pythagorean theorem makes it seem like a giant foe, but a simple example can make it seem much less intimidating. After all a+b=c is much easier to remember than the square of the hypotenuse of a right triangle is equal to the sum of the squares of the two adjacent sides, even though they mean the exact same thing.

Learn more about this author, Nicole Dionisi.
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