Here you would use the Pythagorean theorem which is a² + b² = c² a would be 8 b would be x c would be (x + 2) since part of the hypotenuse is 2 and the other part is x. Now all you have to do is plug in and solve for x: 8² + x² = (x + 2)² remember (x + 2)² is (x + 2)(x + 2) 64 + x² = x² +4x + 4 subtract x² from both sides 64 = 4x + 4 subtract 4 from both sides 60 = 4x divide both sides by 4 15 = x x is 15!
