Pythagoras Theorem Class 9 ICSE Important Questions with Answers
The 14 questions below are Pythagoras Theorem Class 9 ICSE important questions, each with a full step-by-step answer: extra questions beyond the textbook exercises, covering 5 topics of ICSE Class 9 Maths in the question formats used in the exam.
By The Classmate AI Editorial Team
Reviewed by Classmate AI Team · 16 October 2026
Last updated 25 October 2026
- 14
- Questions
- 5
- Topics
- 3
- Key concepts
- ₹0
- With answers
Questions in this chapter range from direct hypotenuse calculations to multi-step problems that use two right triangles in one figure (solve one, use the answer in the next). You are also asked to prove the theorem, to use its converse to test whether a triangle is right-angled, and to apply it to ladders, distances and diagonals.
About Pythagoras Theorem
The relationship at the centre of this chapter — hypotenuse squared equals the sum of the other two sides squared — is one you'll already have used without proving it; ICSE wants both the formal proof and its converse, which flips the logic to test whether a given triangle is right-angled at all. From there it's applied straight to real situations: how far a ladder reaches up a wall, distances between two points, and diagonals of a rectangle.
Key concepts & formulas
In a right-angled triangle, the square of the hypotenuse equals the sum of the squares of the other two sides: if ∠ B=90° in △ ABC, then AC²=AB²+BC².
If in a triangle the square of one side equals the sum of the squares of the other two sides, then the angle opposite the first side is a right angle. This is used to test for right-angled triangles.
Whole-number sides satisfying a²+b²=c², e.g. (3,4,5), (5,12,13), (8,15,17), (7,24,25). Their multiples are also triples.
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Pythagoras Theorem Questions and Answers
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MCQs with answers (1 mark)
In a right-angled triangle the two legs are 6 cm and 8 cm. The hypotenuse is:
- (a)
10 cm
- (b)
14 cm
- (c)
12 cm
- (d)
7 cm
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Answer: (a) 10 cm.
Hypotenuse =√(6²+8²)=√(36+64)=√100=10 cm.
Which of the following is a Pythagorean triple?
- (a)
(2,3,4)
- (b)
(5,12,13)
- (c)
(6,8,9)
- (d)
(4,5,6)
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Answer: (b) (5,12,13).
5²+12²=25+144=169=13², so it satisfies a²+b²=c². The others do not.
The diagonal of a square is 8√2 cm. The side of the square is:
- (a)
4 cm
- (b)
8 cm
- (c)
16 cm
- (d)
8√2 cm
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Answer: (b) 8 cm.
For a square of side a, diagonal =a√2. So a√2=8√2, giving a=8 cm.
In △ ABC, ∠ B=90° and BD⊥ AC with D on AC. If AD=4 cm and DC=9 cm, then BD=
- (a)
6 cm
- (b)
6.5 cm
- (c)
13 cm
- (d)
36 cm
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Answer: (a) 6 cm.
When the altitude is drawn from the right angle to the hypotenuse, BD²=AD× DC=4×9=36, so BD=6 cm.
Assertion–Reason questions (1 mark)
Assertion (A): A triangle with sides 9 cm, 12 cm and 15 cm is right-angled.
Reason (R): By the converse of Pythagoras theorem, if the square of the longest side equals the sum of the squares of the other two, the triangle is right-angled.
- (a)
Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A
- (b)
Both A and R are true but R is not the correct explanation of A
- (c)
A is true but R is false
- (d)
A is false but R is true
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Answer: (a) 9²+12²=81+144=225=15². By the converse of Pythagoras theorem the triangle is right-angled (right angle opposite the 15 cm side). R correctly explains A.
Very short answer questions (2 marks)
A ladder 13 m long rests against a vertical wall with its foot 5 m from the wall. How high up the wall does the ladder reach?
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The wall, ground and ladder form a right-angled triangle with the ladder as the hypotenuse.
Let the height reached be h. By Pythagoras theorem:
h²=13²-5²=169-25=144
h=√144=12 m.
The ladder reaches 12 m up the wall.
The sides of a triangle are 7 cm, 24 cm and 25 cm. Show whether it is a right-angled triangle.
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The longest side is 25 cm. Check the converse of Pythagoras theorem.
7²+24²=49+576=625.
25²=625.
Since 7²+24²=25², by the converse of Pythagoras theorem the triangle is right-angled, with the right angle opposite the 25 cm side.
Short answer questions (3 marks)
In an isosceles triangle ABC, AB=AC=13 cm and BC=10 cm. Find the length of the altitude AD from A to BC.
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The altitude AD from the apex of an isosceles triangle bisects the base BC.
So BD=DC=10/2=5 cm, and ∠ ADB=90°.
In right △ ADB, by Pythagoras theorem:
AD²=AB²-BD²=13²-5²=169-25=144
AD=√144=12 cm.
The altitude AD=12 cm.
A man goes 15 m due east and then 8 m due north. How far is he from the starting point? Explain using a diagram.
Show model answer
The eastward and northward paths are perpendicular, forming a right-angled triangle whose hypotenuse is the required distance.
Let the distance from the start be AC. By Pythagoras theorem:
AC²=15²+8²=225+64=289
AC=√289=17 m.
He is 17 m from the starting point.
In quadrilateral ABCD, ∠ B=90°, AB=3 cm, BC=4 cm, CD=12 cm and ∠ ACD=90°. Find AD.
Show model answer
First find the diagonal AC in right △ ABC (∠ B=90°):
AC²=AB²+BC²=3²+4²=9+16=25
AC=5 cm.
Now in △ ACD, ∠ ACD=90°, so AD is the hypotenuse:
AD²=AC²+CD²=5²+12²=25+144=169
AD=√169=13 cm.
Therefore AD=13 cm.
A tree is broken by the wind. The top of the tree touches the ground 12 m from the foot of the tree, and the broken part makes the hypotenuse. If the height of the standing part is 5 m, find the original height of the tree.
Show model answer
The standing part (5 m) is vertical, the distance on the ground (12 m) is horizontal, and the broken part is the hypotenuse.
Broken part =√(5²+12²)=√(25+144)=√169=13 m.
Original height = standing part + broken part =5+13=18 m.
Long answer questions (5 marks)
State and prove the Pythagoras Theorem: in a right-angled triangle the square on the hypotenuse is equal to the sum of the squares on the other two sides.
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Given: A right-angled △ ABC with ∠ B=90°.
To prove: AC²=AB²+BC².
Construction: Draw BD⊥ AC, with D on AC.
Proof: In △ ADB and △ ABC:
∠ A=∠ A (common) and ∠ ADB=∠ ABC=90°.
By AA similarity, △ ADB∼ △ ABC, so AD/AB=AB/AC, giving
AB²=AD· AC ...(1)
Similarly, in △ BDC and △ ABC: ∠ C=∠ C (common) and ∠ BDC=∠ ABC=90°.
By AA similarity, △ BDC∼ △ ABC, so DC/BC=BC/AC, giving
BC²=DC· AC ...(2)
Adding (1) and (2):
AB²+BC²=AD· AC+DC· AC=AC(AD+DC)
Since AD+DC=AC,
AB²+BC²=AC· AC=AC².
Hence AC²=AB²+BC². Proved.
In △ ABC, ∠ A=90°, and P and Q are the mid-points of AB and AC. Prove that 4(BQ²+CP²)=5BC².
Show model answer
Since ∠ A=90°, use Pythagoras theorem in the right triangles.
Let AB=c and AC=b. Then BC²=b²+c².
P is mid-point of AB: AP=c/2. In right △ APC:
CP²=AC²+AP²=b²+c²/4.
Q is mid-point of AC: AQ=b/2. In right △ ABQ:
BQ²=AB²+AQ²=c²+b²/4.
Adding:
BQ²+CP²=c²+b²/4+b²+c²/4=5/4(b²+c²).
Multiply by 4:
4(BQ²+CP²)=5(b²+c²)=5BC².
Hence proved.
Case study questions (4 marks)
A rectangular playground PQRS has length PQ=40 m and breadth QR=30 m. A pole stands at corner P, and a straight wire is stretched from the top of the pole to corner R.
(i) Find the length of the diagonal PR of the playground.
(ii) If the pole is 24 m tall, find the length of the wire from the top of the pole to corner R.
(iii) A jogger runs along PQ then QR; how much shorter is the diagonal path PR than this route?
(iv) State the theorem used and its converse in one line.
Show model answer
(i) In right △ PQR (∠ Q=90°):
PR²=PQ²+QR²=40²+30²=1600+900=2500
PR=√2500=50 m.
(ii) The pole (24 m) is vertical at P and PR=50 m is horizontal. The wire is the hypotenuse:
wire=√(24²+50²)=√(576+2500)=√3076≈55.5 m.
(iii) Route PQ+QR=40+30=70 m; diagonal PR=50 m. The diagonal is 70-50=20 m shorter.
(iv) Pythagoras theorem: in a right triangle, hypotenuse²= sum of squares of the other two sides; its converse: if one side's square equals the sum of the squares of the other two, the triangle is right-angled.
Continues in Class 10: Heights and Distances Class 10 ICSE questions
All ICSE Class 9 Maths Chapters
Frequently asked questions
What are the important questions in Pythagoras Theorem ICSE Class 9?
Finding a missing side, testing whether a triangle is right-angled with the converse, ladder, distance and broken-tree problems, multi-step figures with two right triangles, and the formal proof. This page has 14 such questions with answers, including a playground-and-pole case study.How do you check if a triangle is right-angled?
Square all three sides and see whether the largest square equals the sum of the other two (the converse of Pythagoras). For 7, 24, 25: 49+576=625=25², so the triangle is right-angled, with the right angle opposite the 25 cm side.How high does a 13 m ladder reach if its foot is 5 m from the wall?
The ladder is the hypotenuse, so the height is √(13²-5²)=√144=12 m. Recognising the 5, 12, 13 triple lets you skip the arithmetic altogether. Ladder questions always make the ladder the hypotenuse.What are common Pythagorean triples?
(3,4,5), (5,12,13), (8,15,17) and (7,24,25), plus their multiples such as (6,8,10) and (9,12,15). Spotting them saves time: a man walking 15 m east and 8 m north ends 17 m from his start.Which ICSE Class 9 chapters use Pythagoras theorem later?
Trigonometrical Ratios (Chapter 22) and Distance Formula (Chapter 28) both rely on it, as does the Circle chapter's chord-length work. Pythagoras Theorem itself is Chapter 13, after Mid-point and Its Converse.How do I solve two-triangle Pythagoras problems?
Solve the triangle with two known sides first, then use that answer as a side of the second. With AB=3, BC=4 and ∠ B=90°, AC=5; then in △ ACD with CD=12 and a right angle at C, AD=13.Can I download Pythagoras Theorem ICSE Class 9 questions?
Yes. Enter your email in the free PDF box on this page to open all 14 Pythagoras questions, the full proof included, as a printable worksheet with answers.
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