In a right triangle, a and b are the lengths of the legs and c is the length of the hypotenuse. If a = 7 feet and c = 10 feet, what is b? If necessary, round to the nearest tenth. b = ____ feet

To find the length of side b in a right triangle, we can use the Pythagorean theorem, which states that (a^2 + b^2 = c^2).

Given:

– (a = 7) feet

– (c = 10) feet

We can substitute the values into the formula:

[

7^2 + b^2 = 10^2

]

Calculating the squares:

[

49 + b^2 = 100

]

Now, subtract 49 from both sides:

[

b^2 = 100 – 49

]

[

b^2 = 51

]

Next, take the square root of both sides to solve for b:

[

b = sqrt{51} approx 7.1 text{ feet (rounded to the nearest tenth)}

]

So, the length of b is approximately 7.1 feet.