If the angles of a triangle are 45°, 45°, and 90°,

show that the length of the hypotenuse is #&\sqrt{\sf 2}#& times as long as each leg.

1. Substitute the side lengths of the triangle into the Pythagorean theorem.
a2 + a2 = c2

2. Combine like terms.
a2 = c2

3. Take the principal square root of both sides.

#&\sqrt{{\sf2}a^2} = \sqrt{c^2}#&

4. Simplify #&\sqrt{\sf 2}#& =