well there are these things called pytagorean triples, you memorize them to help you get these faster. The Pythagorean Triples are the numbers and their multiples. There are 4 basic ones to memorize. They are 3-4-5, 5-12-13, 8-15-17, and 7-24-25. Any multiplese will also be considered pythagorean triples. You can also do a^2 + b^2 = c^2. a=8; b=15. 8^2 + 15^2 = c^2. 64+225= c^2. 289= c^2. sqrt^289= c. sqrt of 289 is 17.