In a right triangle, a and b are the lengths of the legs and c is the length of the hypotenuse. If a = 28 centimeters and b = 21 centimeters, what is c? If necessary, round to the nearest tenth. c = ___ centimeters

To find the length of the hypotenuse ( c ) in a right triangle, you can use the Pythagorean theorem, which states:

[

c^2 = a^2 + b^2

]

Given that ( a = 28 ) centimeters and ( b = 21 ) centimeters, we can substitute these values into the equation:

1. Calculate ( a^2 ) and ( b^2 ):

[

a^2 = 28^2 = 784

]

[

b^2 = 21^2 = 441

]

2. Add these values together:

[

c^2 = 784 + 441 = 1225

]

3. Take the square root to find ( c ):

[

c = sqrt{1225} approx 35.0 text{ centimeters}

]

So, the length of the hypotenuse ( c ) is approximately 35.0 centimeters.