 Remember the pattern for right triangles: Area of small square + Area of medium square = Area of large square

a) 3 in., 5 in., and 8 in = ≠ 64 not a right triangle b) 3 m, 4 m, and 5 m = = 25 right triangle c) 4 cm, 6 cm, and 8 cm = ≠ 64 not a right triangle

= ? ? = = ? ? = ? = 25 ? = 15

 The relationship that we have discovered between the sides of right triangles is called the Pythagorean Theorem.  It allows us to determine if a triangle is a right triangle and to find missing side lengths when we know that the triangle is a right triangle.

 legs = › the sides that create the right angle › “hold up” the right angle like legs to a table › the two shorter sides leg

 hypotenuse = › the side across from the right angle › does not touch the right angle › the longest side of the triangle hypotenuse

 area of small square + area of medium square = area of large square  leg² + leg² = hypotenuse²

or a² + b² = c²

x 5 cm 13 cm

 Don’t forget to identify the legs and hypotenuse  Plug the values into the formula  Solve  Get a star after each row is completed