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1 January, 13:54

The larger leg of a right triangle is 2 feet longer than its smaller leg. The hypotenuse is 4 feet longer than the smaller leg. How many feet long is the larger leg?

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  1. 1 January, 16:46
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    We are given a right triangle whose legs we name as x, x+2 and x+4. The Pythagorean theorem states that the square of the hypotenuse's length is equal to sum of the squares of its legs. hence, we apply this to the given dа ta:

    a2 + b2 = c2

    We substitute the given data

    x2 + (x+2) 2 = (x+4) 2

    We expound the given squares

    x2 + x2 + 4x + 4 = x2 + 8x + 16

    We group next the like terms

    2x2-x2 = 8x - 4x + 16 - 4

    x2 = 4x + 12

    (x2-4x-12) = 0

    we factor the given quadratic equation

    (x-6) * (x+2) = 0

    x1 = 6

    x2 = - 2

    The valid solution set would be 6 since there are no negative measurements, so the answer to this problem would be 6+2 = 8 units.
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