Question

12. To estimate the height of Big Tex at the State

Fair of Texas, Dami steps away from the
statue until his line of sight to the bottom of the
statue form a 90° angle. His eyes are 6 feet
above the ground, and he is standing 24 feet
from Big Tex. How tall is Big Tex to the
nearest foot? (3 pts)
Answer:
6 ft
24 ft

Answer 1

Answer: To estimate the height of Big Tex, we can use the Pythagorean theorem.

The Pythagorean theorem states that in a right triangle, the square of the length of the hypotenuse (the side opposite the right angle) is equal to the sum of the squares of the other two sides.

In this case, the length of the hypotenuse is the height of Big Tex, and the two other sides are the distance from Dami to Big Tex (24 feet) and the height of Dami's eyes above the ground (6 feet).

So, if we call the height of Big Tex "h",

h^2 = 24^2 + 6^2

Solving for h,

h = sqrt(24^2 + 6^2)

h ≈ 45

So Big Tex is about 45 feet tall to the nearest foot.

Explanation: