What is the Pythagorean theorem?

What the Pythagorean theorem a² + b² = c² means, shown with squares built on the three sides of a right triangle.

Step-by-step explanation

  1. The Pythagorean theorem applies to right-angled triangles.
  2. If we build squares on each of the three sides, their areas relate directly to the side lengths.
  3. The sum of the areas of the two smaller squares equals the area of the largest square: a squared plus b squared equals c squared.

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