The hypotenuse can be tricky for students when they first learn about right triangles.

Why It's Confusing:

• Students might have a hard time telling the difference between the legs and the hypotenuse.
• It can be easy to forget that the hypotenuse is the longest side of the triangle.

How to Solve This:

• Using pictures and extra practice can make these differences clearer.
• The Pythagorean theorem, which is $a^2 + b^2 = c^2$, helps a lot. In this equation, $c$ stands for the hypotenuse. This formula makes the idea easier to understand.