If the three sides of a right triangle are a, b, and c with a and b the two sides that include the right angle and c the hypotenuse and if the two sides have lengths 3 and 4,
then c2 = a2 + b2 ---> c2 = 32 + 42 ---> c2 = 9 + 16 ---> c2 = 25 ---> c = 5