A Pythagorean triple is a set of three whole numbers that satisfy a² + b² = c². They produce right triangles with no messy decimals.
The most common ones: 3-4-5, 5-12-13, 8-15-17, 7-24-25.
Any multiple of a triple is also a triple: 6-8-10 is just 3-4-5 doubled. 9-12-15 is 3-4-5 tripled.
Recognising these saves time — when you see sides of 5 and 12, you know the hypotenuse is 13 without any calculation.
Remember
3-4-5 is the most important one. Memorise it. Most exam questions that give clean answers use this triple or a multiple of it.
Real World
Ancient Egyptian surveyors used ropes tied with knots at 3, 4, and 5 unit intervals to create perfect right angles when laying out fields and pyramids.
Feeling ready?
Put this concept to work with a practice workout.