You might ask”What is the Pyhtagorean Theorem???” Well, it is the formula applied for a right-angled triangle(triangle with a 90 degrees side). The formula is a^2+b^2=c^2. It means that the 2 legs of a triangle, each squared(or multiplied by the same number) and then added, will be the squared measurement of the hypotenuse. To give you a better idea, here is a picture.
Here is a sample question:
If the legs of a triangle are 3 and 4, respectively, then what is the hypotenuse?
Answer: 5
Solution: 3^2+4^2=25
1×1=1 wrong
2×2=4 wrong
3×3=9 wrong
4×4=16 wrong
5×5=25 correct!!!!
Now, here is the problem I presented.
Two ships leave port at the same time. Ship X is heading due north and Ship Y is heading due east. Ten hours later they are 500 miles apart. If the Ship X had traveled 400 miles from the port, how many miles had Ship Y traveled?
Answer:300
How???
500^2-400^2=90000
90000=300^2