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2008 AMC 10A Problem 18

Problem 18 of 25IntermediateAlgebraGeometry

A right triangle has perimeter 3232 and area 20.20. What is the length of its hypotenuse?

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Solution

Let the legs be y,zy, z and the hypotenuse x.x. Then y2+z2=x2,y^2 + z^2 = x^2, y+z=32−x,y + z = 32 - x, and yz=40.yz = 40. Squaring the second equation, (32−x)2=y2+z2+2yz=x2+80. \begin{aligned} &(32 - x)^2 \\ &\quad = y^2 + z^2 + 2yz = x^2 + 80. \end{aligned} This gives 1024−64x=80,1024 - 64x = 80, so x=594.x = \dfrac{59}{4}. Thus, the correct answer is B.
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Tagged: Pythagorean Theorem · system of equations · algebraic manipulation

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