What is the relationship between the sides of a right triangle?

• A. The square of the hypotenuse equals the sum of the squares of the other two sides.
• B. The product of the legs equals the hypotenuse.
• C. The sum of the legs equals the hypotenuse.
• D. The difference of the legs equals the hypotenuse.

Answer: (B)

The main idea is how the side lengths in a right triangle relate to one another. The key rule is that the square of the hypotenuse equals the sum of the squares of the other two sides. This is the Pythagorean theorem in action. It lets you verify a right triangle or find the missing side when you know the two legs. For example, with legs of lengths 3 and 4, you compute 3^2 + 4^2 = 9 + 16 = 25, so the hypotenuse is √25 = 5. Other ideas like multiplying the legs, adding them, or taking their difference don’t produce the hypotenuse length in general—using the same numbers gives 3×4 = 12, 3+4 = 7, and 3−4 = −1, none of which equal 5.