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ASVAB · Geometry

A right triangle has legs of 5 and 12. What is the hypotenuse?

Reviewed by Jordan Morley, Editorial Lead at 247SimpleTests. Written by the 247SimpleTests Editorial Team from the official source material cited on every question.

Correct answer

13

  1. A 13
  2. B 14
  3. C 17
  4. D 15

Why this is the answer

Pythagorean theorem: c² = a² + b² = 25 + 144 = 169. c = √169 = 13. 5-12-13 is one of the Pythagorean triples worth memorising, alongside 3-4-5 and 8-15-17 — the ASVAB uses them often because the square roots come out whole. The hypotenuse is always the longest side, opposite the right angle, so an answer smaller than 12 can be ruled out immediately. The distractors 14, 15 and 17 are not the square root of 169.
Source: ASVAB MK, Pythagorean Theorem

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About this topic: Geometry

Geometry on the Mathematics Knowledge section covers angles, triangles (including the Pythagorean theorem), circles, polygons, perimeter, area and volume, and basic coordinate geometry such as slope. Formulas are not provided, so they must be memorised. This is one of 19 Mathematics Knowledge questions on geometry, each with a full explanation on a single study page.

New to this exam? Our ASVAB exam guide explains the format, scoring, and how to prepare.

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