The hypotenuse of a right triangle is 20 centimeters, and the shorter leg is 12 centimeters. Find the length of the other leg.

The relationship of the sides of a right triangle is described as

a^2 + b^2 = c^2

where c is the hypotenuse and the legs are a and b

in this case

c = 20

and

b = 12

we plug this into the equation and get

a^2 + 12^2 = 20^2

this simplifies to

a^2 + 144 = 400

we can subtract 144 from both sides

a^2 = 256

then square root both sides

so

a = 16

therefore the length of the other leg is 16 centimeters