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Eighth-grade math - Pythagorean theorem: word problems

The Pythagorean theorem states that the square of the hypotenuse (the side opposite the right angle) is equal to the sum of the squares of the other two sides. Learn the Pythagorean theorem formula and solve word problems on Pythagoras theorem with resources on this page.

The apps, sample questions, videos, and worksheets listed below will help you learn the Pythagorean theorem: word problems

Related Topics

  • How do you use the Pythagorean Theorem?
  • Draw a right triangle and then read through the problems again to determine the length of the legs and the hypotenuse. Step 2: Use the Pythagorean Theorem (a2 + b2 = c2) to write an equation to be solved. Remember that a and b are the legs and c is the hypotenuse (the longest side or the side opposite the 90º angle).

  • How was the Pythagorean theorem proved?
  • Pythagoras and his colleagues are credited with many contributions to mathematics. The following is an investigation of how the Pythagorean theorem has been proved over the years. The theorem states that: “The square on the hypotenuse of a right triangle is equal to the sum of the squares on the two legs” (Eves 80-81).

  • How many different proofs of the Pythagorean theorem are there?
  • Euclid was the first (I.48) to mention and prove this fact. W. Dunham [Mathematical Universe] cites a book The Pythagorean Proposition by an early 20th-century professor Elisha Scott Loomis. The book is a collection of 367 proofs of the Pythagorean Theorem and has been republished by NCTM in 1968.

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