In order to calculate the value of x in this triangle, we can use the Pythagorean Theorem.
This theorem shows a relation between the hypotenuse (a) and legs (b and c) in any right triangle:
[tex]a^2=b^2+c^2[/tex]If the legs have lengths of 15 and 8, the hypotenuse x is:
[tex]\begin{gathered} x^2=15^2+8^2 \\ x^2=225+64 \\ x^2=289 \\ x=17 \end{gathered}[/tex]So the value of x is 17.