Which Side Is c?
Part of the Triangles section of Coddy's Geometry journey. Lesson 30 of 63.
Getting c wrong is the most common Pythagoras mistake. The hypotenuse is not the side at the bottom, nor the one that looks slanted. It is the side facing the right angle, the one that does not touch the square.
In this triangle the square is at Y, so the hypotenuse is XZ, the side made of the other two letters, even though it lies flat along the bottom. Turn the page any way you like: the side across from the square is c, and the two sides at the square are the legs a and b.
Challenge
This right triangle is turned on its side. Tap its hypotenuse, then press Check.
Try it yourself
Find the right part on the figure
Test yourselfThis lesson includes a short quiz. Start the lesson to answer it and track your progress.
All lessons in Triangles
1Sides and Names
Three Sides, Three CornersSorting by SidesNaming by AnglesTicks into EquationsThe Longest SideRecap: Sorting Triangles2The Triangle Inequality
Can Three Sticks Meet?Exactly ReachingThe Range of the Third SideThe FormulaRecap: The Third Side5The Pythagorean Theorem
Squares on the SidesFinding the HypotenusePythagorean TriplesWhen It Is Not WholeRecap: The Hypotenuse3Perimeter
Around the EdgeA Missing SideIsosceles PerimeterSides as ExpressionsRecap: Around the Edge6Finding a Leg
Working BackwardsThe LadderWhich Side Is c?A Leg That Is Not WholeRecap: Finding a Leg