Final answer:
To find the height of the antenna tower, we use the Pythagorean theorem with the given hypotenuse of 30 meters and base of 20 meters. Upon calculation, the tower's height is found to be approximately 22.4 meters when rounded to the nearest tenth.
Step-by-step explanation:
The student is asking about the height of an antenna tower that forms a right triangle with a cable and the ground. We have two sides of the triangle: the hypotenuse (30 meters) and the base (20 meters). To find the height h, we can use the Pythagorean theorem which states that in a right triangle, the square of the length of the hypotenuse (c) is equal to the sum of the squares of the lengths of the other two sides (a and b).
The formula looks like this: c² = a² + b²
Solving for the height h (which corresponds to a in our case):
- h² = c² - b²
- h² = 30² - 20²
- h² = 900 - 400
- h² = 500
- h = √500
- h ≈ 22.4
Therefore, the height of the antenna tower is approximately 22.4 meters, rounded to the nearest tenth of a meter.