College Math CLEP Prep Practice Exam

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What is the length of the hypotenuse of a right triangle with legs of 3 cm and 4 cm?

5 cm
7 cm
9 cm
10 cm

The correct answer is: 9 cm

In a right triangle, the hypotenuse is always the longest side. Therefore, the length of the hypotenuse cannot be 5 cm (A) or 7 cm (B) since both of these options are shorter than the given lengths of the legs. Option D is also incorrect because it exceeds the sum of the legs (3 cm + 4 cm = 7 cm). The correct answer, 9 cm, can be found using the Pythagorean theorem (a² + b² = c²) where a and b are the lengths of the legs and c is the length of the hypotenuse. In this case, 3² + 4² = 9 + 16 = 25, and the square root of 25 is 5. Therefore, the length of the hypotenuse is 5 cm.