Question

A boy is flying a kite. The length of the string is 61 meters and the

horizontal distance between the boy and the kite is 60 meters. Assuming
there is no slack in the string, find the height of the kite from the ground.

Answer 1

11 meters

Explanation:

Using the Pythagorean Theorem

a^2 + b^2 = c^2

a^2 + 60^2 = 61^2

a^2 + 3600 = 3721 (subtract 3600 from both sides)

a^2 = 121 (square root both sides so a^2 becomes a)

a = 11

Answer 2

11 meters.

Explanation:

This problem models a right rectangle, where the hypothenuse is the length of the string, and the legs are the height and the horizontal distance. So, to find the answer, we just have to use the pythagorean theorem

`a^(2)=b^(2)+c^(2)`

Where

`a=61;b=60;c=x`

Replacing and solving for
`x`, which is the height

`a^(2)=b^(2)+c^(2)\\61^(2)=60^(2)+x^(2) \\x^(2)=61^(2)-60^(2)\\x=√(3721-3600)=√(121)=11`

Therefore, assuming there is no slack in the string, the height of the kite from the ground is 11 meters.