Question #N756
A right triangle has legs of length $12$ and $16$. What is the length of the hypotenuse of this triangle?
A. 10
B. 20
C. 28
D. 40
Correct Answer is: B
The Pythagorean Theorem states that in a right triangle, the square of the hypotenuse is equal to the sum of the squares of the legs. In this case, the hypotenuse, h, satisfies the equation $h^2 = 12^2 + 16^2 = 144 + 256 = 400$. Therefore, the length of the hypotenuse is $h = \sqrt{400} = 20$.