A textbook has a length of 6 inches, a height of y inches, and a width of x inches. If the length of the diagonal of the front cover is 8 inches and the length of the diagonal of the width is 7 inches, find the values of x and y.

Answer:
x = 2√7, y = √21
Step-by-step explanation:
The textbook has right angles, so we can use Pythagorean theorem to find the missing lengths.
For the triangle on top of the textbook:
c² = a² + b²
8² = 6² + x²
64 = 36 + x²
28 = x²
x = √28
x = 2√7
For the triangle on the side of the textbook:
c² = a² + b²
7² = x² + y²
49 = 28 + y²
21 = y²
y = √21