72.4k views
3 votes
Ken ran from one corner of a field to the opposite corner, a distance of 85 meters. Then he ran along its length, a distance of 77 meters. How wide is the field?

User RockZ
by
8.2k points

1 Answer

4 votes

Answer:

24 meters

Explanation:

We can use Pythagoras' theorem to solve this problem. Let's call the width of the field "w". We know that Ken ran from one corner of the field to the opposite corner, a distance of 85 meters. This distance is equal to the hypotenuse of a right triangle whose legs are the length and width of the field. We also know that Ken ran along its length, a distance of 77 meters. This length is one of the legs of the right triangle.

Using Pythagoras' theorem, we can write:

w^2 + 77^2 = 85^2

Simplifying this equation gives:

w^2 = 85^2 - 77^2

w^2 = 576

Taking the square root of both sides gives:

w = sqrt(576)

w = 24

Therefore, the width of the field is 24 meters 1.

I hope this helps!

User Shael
by
8.3k points