what is the length of the hypotenuse? if necessary, round to the nearest tenth. c = feet

Explanation:

Step1: Recall Pythagorean theorem

For a right - triangle with legs (a) and (b) and hypotenuse (c), (c^{2}=a^{2}+b^{2}). Here (a = 12) ft and (b = 16) ft. So (c^{2}=12^{2}+16^{2}).

Step2: Calculate (12^{2}) and (16^{2})

(12^{2}=12\times12 = 144) and (16^{2}=16\times16=256). Then (c^{2}=144 + 256=400).

Step3: Solve for (c)

Take the square root of both sides. (c=\sqrt{400}=20) ft.

Answer:

20