Final answer:
To determine the distance between the diagonal corner posts of a 40' x 100' concrete pad, apply the Pythagorean theorem to find that the posts should be approximately 107.7 feet apart.
Step-by-step explanation:
To determine how far apart the diagonal corner posts should be for a concrete pad that is 40’ x 100’, we need to apply the Pythagorean theorem. This theorem states that in a right-angled 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 lengths of the other two sides. Here, the diagonal of the rectangle will act as the hypotenuse, and the sides of the rectangle will be the other two sides of the triangle.
Let us denote the length of the rectangle as L and the width as W. For the concrete pad in question, we have L = 100 feet and W = 40 feet.
To calculate the diagonal (’D’), we use the Pythagorean theorem:
D² = L² + W²
D² = 100² + 40²
D² = 10000 + 1600
D² = 11600
D = √1160
D ≈ 107.7 feet
Therefore, the diagonal corner posts should be approximately 107.7 feet apart to enclose the concrete pad meant for the hay shed.