Right Triangle Problem: Finding Hypotenuse from 6-Unit Median

Question

Imagine a right triangle.

The length from the median to the hypotenuse is 6.

What is the length of the hypotenuse?

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Video Solution

Solution Steps

00:08 First, let's find the length of the hypotenuse, A C.
00:13 We have a right triangle based on the given information.
00:18 Here, B D is a median, which means it splits the side equally.
00:23 Now, let's talk about the median to the hypotenuse.
00:27 In a right triangle, the median to the hypotenuse is half the length of the hypotenuse.
00:38 Substitute B D's value and solve for A C.
00:50 And that's how we find the solution!

Step-by-Step Solution

To solve this problem, we'll follow these steps:

  • Step 1: Identify the key formula for medians in right triangles.
  • Step 2: Apply this formula to find the hypotenuse length.
  • Step 3: Verify that the result matches one of the given choices.

Now, let's work through each step:

Step 1: In a right triangle, the median from the right angle vertex to the hypotenuse equals half of the hypotenuse length. That is, if the length of the median is denoted as m=c2 m = \frac{c}{2} , where c c is the hypotenuse length.

Step 2: The given length of the median is 6. Thus, we have:

6=c2 6 = \frac{c}{2}

Multiplying both sides by 2 gives:

c=2×6=12 c = 2 \times 6 = 12

Step 3: The calculated hypotenuse length is 12. We check the answer options provided and find that 12 is indeed one of the given choices.

Therefore, the solution to the problem is c=12 c = 12 .

Answer

12