Solved on Jan 22, 2024

Find the side length of a square with a diagonal of 8 cm8\mathrm{~cm}.

STEP 1

Assumptions
1. The figure is a square.
2. The length of the diagonal is given as 8 cm8 \text{ cm}.
3. The relationship between the sides of a square and its diagonal is given by the Pythagorean theorem.

STEP 2

Let's denote the length of one side of the square as ss. Since all sides of a square are equal, the square has four sides of length ss.

STEP 3

According to the Pythagorean theorem, in a right-angled triangle, the square of the hypotenuse (the side opposite the right angle) is equal to the sum of the squares of the other two sides.
c2=a2+b2c^2 = a^2 + b^2
Where cc is the hypotenuse and aa and bb are the other two sides.

STEP 4

In the case of a square, the diagonal acts as the hypotenuse of a right-angled triangle formed by two adjacent sides of the square.

STEP 5

Therefore, we can apply the Pythagorean theorem to the triangle formed by two sides of the square and the diagonal:
Diagonal2=Side2+Side2Diagonal^2 = Side^2 + Side^2

STEP 6

Since both sides are equal in length, we can simplify the equation:
Diagonal2=2×Side2Diagonal^2 = 2 \times Side^2

STEP 7

Now, plug in the given value for the diagonal to find the length of the side:
82=2×Side28^2 = 2 \times Side^2

STEP 8

Calculate the square of the diagonal:
64=2×Side264 = 2 \times Side^2

STEP 9

Divide both sides by 2 to isolate Side2Side^2:
642=Side2\frac{64}{2} = Side^2

STEP 10

Calculate the result:
32=Side232 = Side^2

STEP 11

To find the length of the side, we take the square root of both sides:
Side=32Side = \sqrt{32}

STEP 12

Simplify the square root:
Side=16×2Side = \sqrt{16 \times 2}

STEP 13

Since the square root of 16 is 4, we have:
Side=42Side = 4 \sqrt{2}
The length of the sides of the square is 42 cm4 \sqrt{2} \text{ cm}.

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