sat suite question viewer
The perimeter of an isosceles right triangle is inches. What is the length, in inches, of the hypotenuse of this triangle?
Explanation
Choice C is correct. The perimeter of a triangle is the sum of the lengths of its sides. Since the given triangle is an isosceles right triangle, the length of each leg is the same and the length of the hypotenuse is equal to times the length of a leg. Let represent the length, in inches, of a leg of this isosceles right triangle. Therefore, the perimeter, in inches, of the triangle is , or , which is equivalent to . It's given that the perimeter of this triangle is inches. Thus, . Dividing both sides of this equation by yields . Multiplying the right-hand side of this equation by yields , or . It follows that the length, in inches, of a leg of this isosceles right triangle is . Therefore, the length, in inches, of the hypotenuse of this isosceles right triangle is , or .
Choice A is incorrect. If this were the length of the hypotenuse, the perimeter would be inches.
Choice B is incorrect. This is the length, in inches, of a leg of this triangle, not the hypotenuse.
Choice D is incorrect. If this were the length of the hypotenuse, the perimeter would be inches.