A right triangle has one leg of length $6$ units and a hypotenuse of length $10$ units. What is the length of the missing leg? If necessary, round to the nearest tenth.

• A. $9.2$ units
• B. $7.2$ units
• C. $8.0$ units
• D. $4.0$ units

Answer: (C)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Identify the given elements of the right triangle: one leg length is 6 units, and the hypotenuse length is 10 units.
2. Recall the Pythagorean theorem, which states that in a right triangle, the sum of the squares of the legs equals the square of the hypotenuse: \(a^2 + b^2 = c^2\), where \(c\) is the hypotenuse.
3. Assign the known values: let the missing leg be \(x\), so \$6^2 + x^2 = 10^2$.
4. Rewrite the equation to solve for \(x^2\): \(x^2 = 10^2 - 6^2\).
5. Calculate \(x\) by taking the square root of both sides: \(x = \sqrt{10^2 - 6^2}\). Then, if necessary, round the result to the nearest tenth.