Section 8 6 The Pythagorean Theorem and Radical










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Section 8. 6 The Pythagorean Theorem and Radical Equations Copyright © 2012, 2009, 2005, 2002 Pearson Education, Inc.
Pythagorean Theorem In any right triangle, if c is the length of the hypotenuse and a and b are the lengths of the two legs, then c 2 = a 2 + b 2. hypotenuse c b legs a Copyright © 2012, 2009, 2005, 2002 Pearson Education, Inc. 2
Example The ramp to Tony Pitkin’s barn rises 5 feet over a horizontal distance of 12 feet. How long is the ramp? That is, find the length of the hypotenuse of a right triangle whose legs are 5 feet and 12 feet. ? 5 12 The hypotenuse is 13 feet. Length cannot be negative. The solution will check. Copyright © 2012, 2009, 2005, 2002 Pearson Education, Inc. 3
Example A baseball diamond is square. Each side of the square is 90 feet long. How far is it from home plate to second base? ? 90 90 The distance is approximately 127. 3 feet. Again the length cannot be negative. Copyright © 2012, 2009, 2005, 2002 Pearson Education, Inc. 4
Radical Equations A radical equation is an equation with a variable in one or more of the radicands. It can be simplified by squaring both sides of the equation. Copyright © 2012, 2009, 2005, 2002 Pearson Education, Inc. 5
Example Solve and check. Square each side. Simplify and solve for x. Check: Copyright © 2012, 2009, 2005, 2002 Pearson Education, Inc. 6
Example Solve and check. Square each side. Simplify and solve for x. Check: False There is no solution. Copyright © 2012, 2009, 2005, 2002 Pearson Education, Inc. 7
Example Solve and check. Isolate the radical. Square each side. FOIL each side. Simplify and set equal to 0. Factor the quadratic equation. Solve for y. Copyright © 2012, 2009, 2005, 2002 Pearson Education, Inc. 8
Example (cont) Solve and check. Check: False! 4 is an extraneous root. The only solution is y = 0. Copyright © 2012, 2009, 2005, 2002 Pearson Education, Inc. 9
Example Solve and check. Check: The solution is 2. Copyright © 2012, 2009, 2005, 2002 Pearson Education, Inc. 10