Do 12inches + 16inches + 20inches make a right triangle

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  possibly

Step-by-step explanation:

We are not told what these are the measures of, or why we're adding them (listing them with a "+" sign between). Laid end-to-end, they can make something 48 inches long.

A right triangle can be formed that has sides of lengths 12 in, 16 in, and 20 in. (It is a 3-4-5 right triangle with a scale factor of 4 inches.)

In case you don't recognize the ratios 12 : 16 : 20 = 3 : 4 : 5 as being a Pythagorean triple, you can check using the Pythagorean theorem. The triangle is a right triangle if (and only if) the sum of the squares of the shorter sides equals the square of the longest side.

  12² + 16² = 144 +256 = 400 = 20²

These lengths can make a right triangle.