The Pythagoras theorem says that the sum if a right triangle has side length a, b, and c then
[tex]a^2+b^2=c^2[/tex]Now in our case, a = 8, b = ?, and c = 16 in; therefore,
[tex]8^2+b^2=16^2[/tex][tex]64+b^2=256[/tex]Subtracting 64 from both sides gives
[tex]b^2=256-64[/tex][tex]b^2=192[/tex]Taking the square root of both sides gives
[tex]b=\sqrt[]{192}[/tex][tex]b=13.9[/tex]Hence, the length of the missing side is 13.9.
