Can a Right Triangle's Hypotenuse be Found from Its Area and Perimeter?

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In summary, the conversation discusses forming a quadratic equation in x for a right-angled triangle with area Acm^2 and perimeter Pcm, where a side other than the hypotenuse has length xcm. It is suggested to use Pythagoras' theorem, but it is mentioned that the quartic equation can be simplified and the quartic and cubic terms may cancel out.
  • #1
synkk
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A Right-Angled Triangle has area Acm^2 and perimeter Pcm. A side other than the hypotenuse has length has length xcm. Form a quadratic equation in x in each of the following cases:
a) a=6 p=12

let the other side be y, and the hypotenuse be h

x + y + h = 12
0.5*y*x = 6, y= 12/x
x + 12/x + h = 12
x^2 + x(h-12) + 12 = 0

is there anyway to find an expression for h while keeping a quadratic equation in x? I mean I could use pythagoras but h^2 = 144/x^2 + x^2 will turn into a quartic equation no?
 
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  • #2
Might not. If you do the algebra, the quartic and cubic terms might cancel. In fact, I think they do.
 
  • #3
cheers, it does, my fault for being lazy.
 

1. Can a right triangle's hypotenuse be found if only the area is given?

Yes, the Pythagorean theorem can be used to find the length of the hypotenuse if the area of the right triangle is known.

2. Is the perimeter of a right triangle enough to determine the length of its hypotenuse?

No, the perimeter alone is not enough to determine the length of the hypotenuse. The area of the triangle is also needed to solve for the hypotenuse using the Pythagorean theorem.

3. How do you calculate the area of a right triangle?

The area of a right triangle can be calculated by multiplying the base and height of the triangle and dividing the result by 2. This can also be written as A = (1/2) * base * height.

4. Can the length of the hypotenuse be found if the perimeter and one other side of the right triangle are given?

Yes, if the perimeter and one other side of the right triangle are given, the length of the remaining side can be found using the perimeter formula and the length of the hypotenuse can then be calculated using the Pythagorean theorem.

5. What is the Pythagorean theorem?

The Pythagorean theorem states that in a right triangle, the square of the length of the hypotenuse is equal to the sum of the squares of the other two sides. It can be written as c^2 = a^2 + b^2, where c is the length of the hypotenuse and a and b are the lengths of the other two sides.

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