Right Triangle Leg Calculator

This tool solves for the missing leg (a or b) of a right-angled triangle when the hypotenuse and one leg are known. Correctly identifying leg lengths is critical in carpentry (framing), machining, and vector physics. The calculator validates the geometric possibility of the triangle, ensuring the leg is strictly shorter than the hypotenuse, a common source of error in manual calculations. It provides the rearranged Pythagorean formula used for the specific solution.

The Pythagorean theorem establishes the fundamental relationship in Euclidean geometry.

To find a leg, we isolate the unknown variable by subtracting the known leg squared from the hypotenuse squared.