How To Calculate

Learn how to calculate anything
Menu
  • bmi
Home
length
How to Calculate Length of the Hypotenuse.
length

How to Calculate Length of the Hypotenuse.

Rosemary Njeri

What is a hypotenuse?

Ahead of discussing how to calculate the length of the hypotenuse, let us define it. The word hypotenuse comes from a Greek word hypoteinousa which means ‘stretching under’. The hypotenuse is the longest side of a right angled triangle and is opposite to the right angle.

Formula to Calculate the Length of the Hypotenuse.

The method below is known as the Pythagorean theorem. Whereby, to find the hypotenuse of the triangle, you square(multiply a number by itself) the base (a²) and the height (b²) and then add them together to get the square of the hypotenuse (c²). Then find the square root of ‘c²’ to get the length of the hypotenuse.

Calculate Length of Hypotenuse.

Example 1:

Calculate the hypotenuse of the following right angled triangle.

Calculate Length of the Hypotenuse.

Therefore , the hypotenuse of the triangle is 5 cm.

Example 2:

Suppose you are asked to find the length of a flight of stairs. If the distance between the floor and the top step is 12 feet and the distance from the wall to the lowest step is 9 feet.

The distance from the floor to the top step can be also called as the height and it is equal to 12feet.

The distance from the wall to lowest step can be also called the base, and it is 9 feet.

The length of flight of stairs is the hypotenuse. Therefore.

Hypotenuse2 = 122 + 92

= 144 + 81

Hypotenuse2= 225

Hypotenuse = √225

Hence the length of the flight of stairs is 15 feet.

Share
Tweet
Reddit
Pinterest
Email
Prev Article
Next Article

Related Articles

How to Convert Miles to Feet.
A mile is a unit of linear measure equal to …

How to Convert Miles to Feet.

How to Convert Centimeters to Meters.
Both meters and the centimeters are metric units of length …

How to Convert Centimeters to Meters.

Popular Posts

    Categories

    learntocalculate.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.

    How To Calculate

    Learn how to calculate anything

    Pages

    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Privacy Policy
    Copyright © 2025 How To Calculate

    Ad Blocker Detected

    Our website is made possible by displaying online advertisements to our visitors. Please consider supporting us by disabling your ad blocker.

    Refresh