javascript

calculateHypotenuse()

Parameters: sideA(Number), sideB(Number)

Both parameters are lengths of the right triangle's sides

Returns: Returns the length of the hypotenuse of the right triangle

The function takes in two parameters representing the lengths of the two shorter sides of the triangle and returns the length of the hypotenuse.

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Math Object
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Writing a JavaScript Function to Calculate the Hypotenuse

Hello there, fellow programmer! Today we're going to delve into the task of coding a neat little function in JavaScript. This function will assist us in the calculation of the Hypotenuse of a triangle using the Phytagoras theorem. For those unfamiliar with the term, this is the longest side of a right-angled triangle, sitting exactly opposite the right angle itself. Stay tuned as we show you the steps to achieve this task. Happy programming!

Step 1: Understanding the Problem

The first step in solving any problem using code is to understand what problem you are trying to solve. In this case, we want to write a function in JavaScript named calculateHypotenuse that calculates the length of the hypotenuse given the lengths of the other two sides of a right triangle (these are usually referred to as the base and height). From the Pythagorean theorem, we know that the square of the length of the hypotenuse is equal to the sum of the squares of the lengths of the other two sides, or in simpler terms, hypotenuse² = base² + height². To get the length of the hypotenuse, we simply need to find the square root of the sum of the squares of the base and height.

Step 2: Define the Function and Parameters

The second step would be to define our function and its parameters. The function would take two parameters - one for the length of the base and one for the height.

The function will be named calculateHypotenuse, and the parameters would be base and height.

function calculateHypotenuse(base, height) {
    
}

Step 3: Implement the formula

Next, we should use the Pythagorean theorem to calculate the length of the hypotenuse inside our function.

The formula for calculating the length of the hypotenuse in terms of the base and height is:

hypotenuse = √(base² + height²)".

In JavaScript, you can square a number using the ** operator, and you can calculate the square root of a number using the Math.sqrt function.

function calculateHypotenuse(base, height) {
    let hypotenuse = Math.sqrt(base**2 + height**2);
}

Step 4: Return the result

Now that we have calculated the hypotenuse, we need our function to return that value. We do this with the return statement:

function calculateHypotenuse(base, height) {
    let hypotenuse = Math.sqrt(base**2 + height**2);
    return hypotenuse;
}

Conclusion:

Once you follow these steps correctly, you should now have an implemented calculateHypotenuse function. The function takes in two parameters (the lengths of the base and the height of a right triangle) and returns the length of the hypotenuse. Here's the full code:

function calculateHypotenuse(base, height) {
    let hypotenuse = Math.sqrt(base**2 + height**2);
    return hypotenuse;
}

With this function, you can simply call it with two arguments representing the length of the base and the height of the right triangle, and it will return the length of the hypotenuse.

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Pythagorean Theorem

Used to calculate the length of one side of a right triangle

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Mathematical principle

This function applies the Pythagorean Theorem to calculate the hypotenuse. The theorem states that in a right-angled triangle, the square of the hypotenuse is equal to the sum of the squares of the other two sides. `hypotenuse = sqrt(a² + b²)`

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