and more Pythagorean help

another explanation:

The Pythagorean Theorem

The Pythagorean theorem, an important mathematical principle, uses right triangles. A right triangle is a triangle which has one right or 90° angle. The side opposite the 90° angle is called the hypotenuse .

The Pythagorean theorem states that for any right triangle c ² = a ² + b ² , where c is the length of the hypotenuse and a and b are the lengths of its sides (see Fig. 9-23 ) .

Fig. 9-23.

Finding the Hypotenuse

If you need to find the hypotenuse of a right triangle, use c = .

Finding the Sides of a Right Triangle

If you need to find the length of one side of a right triangle, use a = or b = .

more pythagorean theory help

some examples:

Example 1

Find the length of the hypotenuse of a right triangle if the length of its sides are 5 inches and 12 inches.

Solution 1

Example 2

A person drives 33 miles due east, then makes a left turn, and drives 56 miles north. How far is he from his starting point?

Solution 2

The right triangle is shown in Fig. 9-24.

Fig. 9-24.

Then

pythagorean theory help

here is a link that may be helpful to you.  

 http://www.mathwarehouse.com/geometry/triangles/how-to-use-the-pythagorean-theorem.php


once the link opens, scroll down and click on the play arrow for the video.

you may also might want to check out all the examples shown.