Mathematics Knowledge

What is the hypotenuse of a right triangle with 2 sides measuring 30 and 40?

  1. 50
  2. 60
  3. 70
  4. 80

In working as an ASVAB tutor, I remind my students of the importance of reviewing triangles to prepare for the Mathematics Knowledge section of the ASVAB.  One of the 15 subtopics I cover in my book, The ASVAB Tutor’s Mathematics Knowledge Study Guide is triangles.  I remind my students to review the different types of angles in triangles, the names of the different types of triangles, and Pythagorean theorem.  If a right triangle has 2 short sides measuring 30 and 40, what would you do to figure out the measure of the longest side, also known as the hypotenuse?

I will present the answer and explanation tomorrow as well as a quicker way to solve this problem.