Question

Bridgette just went down the slide at the playground. She walks 1 meter to get from the end of the slide back to the ladder. Then she climbs 3 meters to the top of the slide again. How long is the slide? If necessary, round to the nearest tenth.

Please respond.
Thank you!

Answer 1

2.14 (rounded to the nearest tenth)

Explanation:

Let's assume that the length of the slide is represented by the variable "x".

Based on the information provided in the question, Bridgette walks 1 meter from the end of the slide back to the ladder and climbs 3 meters to reach the top of the slide again. Therefore, the total vertical distance Bridgette covers in one trip down and up the slide is 1 + x + 3 = x + 4 meters.

The length of the slide is the hypotenuse of a right triangle formed by the slide and the total vertical distance Bridgette covers in one trip down and up the slide. Using the Pythagorean theorem, we can write: x^2 = (x + 4)^2 - 1^2

Simplifying this equation, we get: x^2 = x^2 + 8x + 16 - 1

7x = 15

x = 2.14 (rounded to the nearest tenth)

Therefore, the length of the slide is approximately 2.1 meters.

Answer 2

• The slide is 3.2 m long

---------------------------------

The slide and ladder form a right triangle with:

• Horizontal leg (distance from slide to ladder) = 1 m,
• Vertical leg (ladder) = 3 m.

Let the length of the slide be s, this is a hypotenuse.

Find s using Pythagorean:

• 
  `s=√(1^2+3^2) =√(1+9)=√(10)=3.2\ m \ rounded`