By examining this image:
⇒ we see a right triangle made up of sidelength of h, 8, and 17
⇒ we know this is a right triangle because there is a little square
⇒between lines of length 8 and h
⇒ which indicates this angle is 90 degrees
⇒ which indicates we have a right triangle
Since we have a right triangle
⇒ we can use the Pythagorean Theorem
- Definition of Pythagorean Theorem: square of the hypotenuse of a right triangle is equal to the sum of the squares of the other two sides.
*look at the image attached for a better explanation
Now let's form an equation (based on the Pythagorean Theorem)
[tex]h^2 + 8^2 = 17^2\\h^2 = 17^2- 8^2h^2 = 289 - 64 = 225\\h^2 = 225\\h = 15[/tex]
Thus h = 15cm
Hope that helps!
