In
geometry, a
hypotenuse (alternate spelling:
hypothenuse) is the longest side of a
right-angled triangle, the side opposite of the
right angle. The length of the hypotenuse of a
right triangle can be found using the
Pythagorean theorem, which states that the
square of the length of the hypotenuse equals the sum of the squares of the lengths of the other two sides. For example, if one of the other sides has a length of 3 (when squared, 9) and the other has a length of 4 (when squared, 16), then their squares add up to 25. The length of the hypotenuse is the
square root of 25, that is, 5.