Two sides of an obtuse triangle measure 10 inches and 15 inches. The length of longest side is unknown. What is the smallest possible whole-number length of the unknown side?

Verified Answer :

Answer – 19 inches

 The smallest possible whole-number length of the longest side of an obtuse triangle is the next integer greater than the Pythagorean distance of the other two sides.

 Given,

A = 10
 B = 15

Pythagoras theorem;
C^2 = A^2 + B^2

C^2 = 15^2 + 10^2
C^2 = 225 + 100

C^2 = 325

C = 18.03

 Therefore, the smallest possible whole-number length of the longest side is the next integer greater than 18.03 inches.


The smallest possible whole-number length of the longest side is 19 inches