Pythagorean theorem straightedge and compass. Pythagoras's theorem enables construction of incommensurable lengths because the hypotenuse of a triangle is related to the sides by the square root operation. The figure on the right shows how to construct line segments whose lengths are in the ratio of the square root of any positive integer. Each triangle has a side (labeled "1") that is the chosen unit for measurement. In each right triangle, Pythagoras's theorem establishes the length of the hypotenuse in terms of this unit. If a hypotenuse is related to the unit by the square root of a positive integer that is
Triangle the hypotenuse equals the sum of the squares of the lengths of the two other sides. If the hypotenuse has length "c", and the legs have lengths "a" and "b", then the theorem states that The converse is true: if the lengths of the sides of a triangle satisfy the above equation, then the triangle has a right angle opposite side "c". Some other facts about right triangles: For all triangles, angles and sides are related by the law of cosines and law of sines (also called the "cosine rule" and "sine rule"). The triangle inequality states that the sum