On a 90 degree triangle where the hypotenuse is 83, what is the length of the base leg?

Question

I was told that my question can not be answered truly with the daya provided.

Answer 1

You can't get an actual number because, with a right triangle (90 degree), Pascal's formula is:

base^2 + height^2 = hypotenuse^2

base^2 + height^2 = 83^2

base^2 + height^2 = 6889

base^2 = 6889 - height^2

base = sqrt(6889 - height^2)

For the base you get a formula in terms of height.  This means you can't get an actual number for the base without knowing the height.