Excel Formulas: Perform Pythagorean Theorem ~ Useful Tricks!!
Tags: excelformula, excelformulas
Published: 2021-07-02 04:47:21

---
title: Excel Formulas: Perform Pythagorean Theorem ~ Useful Tricks!!
published: true
date: 2021-06-27 16:02:39 UTC
tags: ExcelFormula,Excelformulas
canonical_url: https://geekexcel.com/excel-formulas-perform-pythagorean-theorem/
---

 **Pythagorean theorem** is one of the well-known geometric theorems. It sums the squares on the legs of a right triangle which is equal to the square on the hypotenuse (the side opposite the right angle). Here we are going to see the formulas to **calculate the longest side of a right side triangle in Excel using the Pythagorean theorem**. Let’s jump into this article!! Get an official version of ** MS Excel**  from the following link: [https://www.microsoft.com/en-in/microsoft-365/excel](https://www.microsoft.com/en-in/microsoft-365/excel)

[![Pythagorean theorem](https://geekexcel.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Pythagorean-theorem.png)](https://geekexcel.com/excel-formulas-perform-pythagorean-theorem/pythagorean-theorem/#main)<figcaption id="caption-attachment-48004">Pythagorean theorem</figcaption>

## Generic Formula:

- You can use the below formula to find out the longest side of the triangle in Excel.

**=[SQRT](https://geekexcel.com/how-to-use-excel-sqrt-function-in-office-365-with-examples/)(a^2+b^2)**

## Syntax Explanations:

- **SQRT** – In Excel, the [**SQRT function**](https://geekexcel.com/how-to-use-excel-sqrt-function-in-office-365-with-examples/) helps to return the square root of a positive integer.
- **a** – It represents one side of the triangle.
- **b** – It specifies another side of the triangle.
- **Plus operator (+)** – This symbol is used to add the values.
- **Parenthesis ()** – The main purpose of this symbol is to group the elements.

## Practical Example:

Refer to the below example image.

- Here, we will enter the two sides of the triangle in **Column B** and **Column C**.
- Now we are going to calculate the unknown side of the triangle

![Input Ranges](https://geekexcel.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Input-Ranges-76.png)<figcaption id="caption-attachment-48008">Input Ranges</figcaption>

- Select any cell and type the above-given formula.

![Enter the formula](https://geekexcel.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Enter-the-formula-90.png)<figcaption id="caption-attachment-48006">Enter the formula</figcaption>

- Finally, press the ** ENTER**  key, you can get the result as shown below.

![Result](https://geekexcel.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Result-76.png)<figcaption id="caption-attachment-48005">Result</figcaption>

## Wind-Up:

From this chapter, you can get to know how to **calculate the longest side of the triangle in Excel based on the Pythagorean theorem**. Let me know if you have any **doubts** regarding this article or any other Excel/VBA topic.

Thank you so much for visiting  **[Geek Excel](https://geekexcel.com/)!! **If you want to learn more helpful formulas, check out [**Excel Formulas**](https://geekexcel.com/excel-formula/) **!! **

### Read Also:

- **[Excel Formulas to Calculate the Area of a Trapezoid ~ Easy Tricks!!](https://geekexcel.com/excel-formulas-to-calculate-the-area-of-a-trapezoid/)**
- **[How to Insert a Date or Formatted Date in Excel Office 365?](https://geekexcel.com/how-to-insert-a-date-or-formatted-date-in-excel-office-365/)**
- **[Excel Formulas to Calculate the Area of a Circle ~ Simple Tutorial!!](https://geekexcel.com/excel-formulas-to-calculate-the-area-of-a-circle-simple-tutorial/)**
- **[Excel Formulas to Calculate the Distance in 2D ~ Quick Solutions!!](https://geekexcel.com/excel-formulas-to-calculate-the-distance-in-2d/)**