Question

A truss is a structure used to support the roofs of houses. Below is a picture of a truss with an enlargement of one right triangle. To the nearest hundredth inch, what is measure of x?

Answer 1

19.80 in

Explanation:

The Pythagorean theorem tells you ...

28² = x² + x²

28² = 2x² . . . . . collect terms

28 = (√2)x . . . . take the square root

28/√2 = x ≈ 19.79899 ≈ 19.80 . . . . . divide by the coefficient of x and round (dimensions are in inches)