You know the relationship between the hypotenuse and the legs of a right triangle.
Take a look at this problem.
Ms. Berkin is dividing her 4-foot by 6-foot bulletin board into 4 sections with ribbon
stretched from each corner to the opposite corner. How much ribbon does she need?
Use math you already know to solve the problem.
a. Write the equation for the Pythagorean Theorem for your reference.
b. In the rectangle, sketch the position of the ribbons and outline a right triangle with a
diagonal of the rectangle as the hypotenuse.
c. Label the vertical leg a and write its length. a =
d. Label the horizontal leg b and write its length. b =
e. Write an expression for the length of the hypotenuse. c=
f. Solve for c. (=
g. How many feet of ribbon does Ms. Berkin need?