If the square of the longest side of a triangle equals the sum of the squares of the other two sides, then the triangle is right-angled, and the right angle lies opposite the longest side.
Compare instead of computing roots: if c² > a² + b² the angle opposite c is obtuse; if c² < a² + b² it is acute.
Everyday applications
Sun shadows: light rays are parallel, so a person and his shadow form a triangle similar to that of a building and its shadow — heights are found from the ratio of shadows.
Ladders, diagonals of screens and fields, and the distance between two points on a grid.
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