The hypotenuse of a 45°-45°-90° triangle measures 18 cm.

What is the length of one leg of the triangle?

A. 9 cm
B. 9√2 cm
C. 18 cm
D. 18√2 cm



Answer :

To find the length of one leg of a [tex]\(45^\circ-45^\circ-90^\circ\)[/tex] triangle given the hypotenuse, you can make use of the properties of this special type of right triangle.

In a [tex]\(45^\circ-45^\circ-90^\circ\)[/tex] triangle, both legs are of equal length, and the hypotenuse is [tex]\(\sqrt{2}\)[/tex] times the length of one leg. Let's denote the length of one leg by [tex]\(x\)[/tex].

The relationship between the hypotenuse and the leg in a [tex]\(45^\circ-45^\circ-90^\circ\)[/tex] triangle is given by:
[tex]\[ \text{Hypotenuse} = x \sqrt{2} \][/tex]

Given that the hypotenuse is 18 cm, we can set up the equation:
[tex]\[ 18 = x \sqrt{2} \][/tex]

To solve for [tex]\(x\)[/tex], we divide both sides of the equation by [tex]\(\sqrt{2}\)[/tex]:
[tex]\[ x = \frac{18}{\sqrt{2}} \][/tex]

To rationalize the denominator (if needed) and simplify, multiply the numerator and the denominator by [tex]\(\sqrt{2}\)[/tex]:
[tex]\[ x = \frac{18 \sqrt{2}}{2} \][/tex]
[tex]\[ x = 9 \sqrt{2} \][/tex]

Thus, the length of one leg of the triangle is:
[tex]\[ 9 \sqrt{2} \, \text{cm} \][/tex]

Therefore, the correct answer is:
[tex]\[ \boxed{9 \sqrt{2} \text{ cm}} \][/tex]