Question

Two vertical posts stand side by side. One post is 8 feet tall while the other is 17 feet tall. If a 24 foot wire is stretched between the tops of the posts, how far apart are the posts?​

Answer 1

22 1/4 feet

Explanation:

you can sketch this problem to be a right triangle with a hypotenuse of 24 feet and one leg of 9 feet (17 - 8).

use Pythagorean Theorem to find the base side, which represents the distance between the posts

a² + 9² = 24²

a² + 81 = 576

a² = 576 - 81

a² = 495

a =
`√(495)`

a =
`√(9)` ·
`√(55)` = 3
`√(55)`, which is approx 22.25

Answer 2

about 22.25 feet

Explanation:

You can think of it like a triangle, which you can see at the bottom

Then, use the pythagorean theorem,
`a^2 + b^2 = c^2`.

you have a = 9 and c = 24, so

`9^2 + b^2 = 24^2\\81 + b^2 = 576\\b^2 = 495\\b = √(495) = 3√(55) = about 22.25`