Right Triangles: A right triangle is any triangle with one angle that is 90°
(indicated by a square in the corner). If you see a right triangle in an SAT
problem, there is an 83.72% chance that you will need to use the Pythagorean
Theorem to solve that problem. The PT for right triangles is: a^2 + b^2 = c^2.
Side c is the hypotenuse— the longest side and the one not adjacent to the right angle.
—Samantha
Simple, right? Well, the SAT will often hide their right triangles in an
innocent-looking word problem.
A window washer leans his ladder against the wall of a building. If the
wall is perpendicular to the ground, and the base of the ladder is 5 feet
from the wall, and the ladder is 13 feet long, at what height will the top
of the ladder touch the wall?
A) 10 feet
B) 11 feet
C) 12 feet
D) 13 feetThe first step is to draw a picture.