A lot is in the shape of a right triangle. The shorter leg measures 60 meters. The hypotenuse is 60 meters shorter than twice the length of the longer leg. How long is the longer leg?

The shorter leg measures 60 meters. The hypotenuse is 60 meters shorter than twice the length of the longer leg. How long is the longer leg? We can use Pythagoreans theorem that says a^2+b^2=c^2. So let's call a the short leg so a=60. So the longer leg is b. Now we can write an equation for the hypotenuse c=2b-60. Let's plug all this into Pythagoreans theorem and write 60^2+b^2 = (2b-60)^2. You need to FOIL the (2b-60)(2b-60) then use algebra to solve for b. Hope that helps you on your way :)