In a pythagorean theorem, how would you reverse the radical form if your trying to find a side of the right trianle

Isuck at math ; ^; m a student solved this problem and said the answer is 3 feet. chase had a roll of ribbon that contained 7 7/8  feet of ribbon. he cut off one piece that was 3 5/8  feet long and another piece that was 1 1/4  feet from the roll. how much ribbon was left on the roll? is the student's answer reasonable? yes, the answer is reasonable. no, the answer is not reasonable. it should be about 2 feet. no, the answer is not reasonable. it should be about 13 feet. no, the answer is not reasonable. it should be about 4 feet.

Could somebody me with this radical simplification?

In order to be invited to tutoring or extension activities a students performance 20 point higher or lower than average for the