In a right triangle with legs 3 and 4, which is the length of the hypotenuse?

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Multiple Choice

In a right triangle with legs 3 and 4, which is the length of the hypotenuse?

Explanation:
In a right triangle, the hypotenuse length comes from the Pythagorean theorem: c^2 = a^2 + b^2. With legs 3 and 4, you get c^2 = 3^2 + 4^2 = 9 + 16 = 25, so c = sqrt(25) = 5. This is the classic 3-4-5 triangle, where the sides form whole-number lengths. The other numbers don’t fit because 4 is one of the legs, not the hypotenuse; 6 would be too long for these legs, and sqrt(41) would imply a sum of squares of 41, which doesn’t match 3^2 + 4^2.

In a right triangle, the hypotenuse length comes from the Pythagorean theorem: c^2 = a^2 + b^2. With legs 3 and 4, you get c^2 = 3^2 + 4^2 = 9 + 16 = 25, so c = sqrt(25) = 5. This is the classic 3-4-5 triangle, where the sides form whole-number lengths. The other numbers don’t fit because 4 is one of the legs, not the hypotenuse; 6 would be too long for these legs, and sqrt(41) would imply a sum of squares of 41, which doesn’t match 3^2 + 4^2.

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