Question

Suppose a spider was able to create one thread that would extend from the top-right back corner of a room to the bottom-left front corner. Approximately how long would that thread need to be for the room below to the nearest tenth of a foot? The path of the spider's thread is shown with a dotted line. (Hint: You will use the Pythagorean theorem twice.)

Answer 1

d^2 = 30^2 + 12^2

e^2 = d^2 + 8^2

e^2 = 30^2 + 12^2 + 8^2

e = √(30^2 + 12^2 + 8^2) = 33.3 ft

Answer 2

33.3 feet to the nearest tenth.

Explanation:

WE first need to find the length of the diagonal (d) across the bottom of the room.

d^2 = 30^2 + 12^2 = 1044.

Now applying Pythagoras theorem to the triangle whose hypotenuse (h) is the path of the spider:

h^2 = d^2 + 8^2

= 1044 + 64

= 1108

h = √1108

= 33.3 feet.