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A waterslide is 4.2 m high and has a support 2.4 m tall. If a student reaches this support when she is 3.1 m down the slide, how long is the slide?

1 Answer

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Refer to the diagram shown below.

The triangles ΔABC and ΔADE are similar because of AAA.
Therefore

(AC)/(AE) = (BC)/(DE) \\\\ (x)/(x+3.1) = (2.4)/(4.2) = 0.5714 \\\\ x = 0.5714(x+3.1)
0.4286x = 1.7713
x = 4.133 m

The length of the slide is x + 3.1 = 4.133 + 3.1 = 7.233 m

Answer: 7.2 m (nearest tenth)
A waterslide is 4.2 m high and has a support 2.4 m tall. If a student reaches this-example-1
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