jabhatta2
Hey
avigutman - was wondering - could you solve this IR question W/O any calculator ?
I dont think it is possible w/o the calculator, given the closeness of the numbers.
Yes, jabhatta2, I solved it in my head. Here's the thinking I went through:
1. The area of a right triangle is half the product of its legs. Therefore, A=b (granted, the former is a 2-dimensional measurement and the latter is a 1-dimensional measurement, but numerically they're equal).
2. The square of the hypotenuse is equal to the sum of the squares of the legs, so 2^2+A^2 = c^2
3. The hypotenuse MUST be longer than each of the legs, so c MUST be longer than b(=A) --> This eliminates the second option that you were considering,
jabhatta2.
Then I went to the first option in the answer choices, and wondered what a A=2 would mean for c. Well, then 8 = c^2 so c is 2*root(2) or approximately 2.8. Done.
I got lucky that the first answer worked out for me, but I would have proceeded with the same strategy as I worked through the remaining answer choices, and I would have used the calculator if I had to. In this case, I didn't have to.