Answer

The correct answer is C, because

or,

If those numbers didn't add correctly, you'd know the triangle could not be a right triangle.

Remember: The Pythagorean Theorem works ONLY with right triangles.

On the Web: A theorem has to be proved, and in math there are many ways to do this. One way of proving the Pythagorean Theorem is through looking at how different shapes interact. Check it out here.

Pythagoras, after whom the theory is named, was a philospoher and mathemetitian living in a time period when people didn't distinguish between math, science, religion and philosophy. They were all just trying to understand the universe. Read more about him at this site, and write a short paragraph about who he was and what he did.

Extra Credit: Your extra credit is to memorize the long version of the Pythagorean Theorem and be able to either recite it out loud or write it out. Here it is again... Everybody now!

 For any right triangle, the sum of the squares of the lengths of the legs equals the square of the length of the hypoteneuse.

If Homer Simpson can do it (click the link--but turn down your volume first), so can you! You'll thank me later.