Concept · 4 steps · NESA MA4-PYT-C-01

Applying Pythagoras' Theorem

You know why a² + b² = c² is true — now you put it to work. Find a missing side of any right triangle, dodge the one trap, and use it on ladders, screens and shortcuts.

1Where it comes fromDrag the two legs and watch the hypotenuse grow as c = √(a²+b²). 2How to do itTwo cases — find the hypotenuse, or find a shorter side — with a practice generator. 3Where it gets trickyShorter side means subtract, not add — and the hypotenuse is always the longest. 4Out in the wildLadders, TV diagonals, shortcuts — and working backwards to a missing leg.

← This concept rests on

Identifying and Defining Pythagoras' Theorem
Square Roots

→ It unlocks

Distance Between Two Points
Trigonometry of Right Triangles
Surface Area of Prisms