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a pole is 7 meters tall. a boy stands 2 meters from the base of the pole. how far is the top of the pole from the feet of the boy? write your answer to the nearest hundredths.

User Machavity
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Answer:

To answer this question, we need to use the Pythagorean theorem, which states that in a right 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. This can be written as: a² + b² = c².

In this scenario, we can consider the pole as one side of a right triangle (let's call it 'a'), the distance between the boy and the base of the pole as another side (let's call it 'b'), and the distance from the boy to the top of the pole as the hypotenuse (let's call it 'c').

Given:

a = 7 meters (height of pole)

b = 2 meters (distance from boy to base of pole)

We are asked to find 'c', which is the distance from the boy to the top of the pole.

Step 1: Square both 'a' and 'b'.

a² = 7² = 49

b² = 2² = 4

Step 2: Add a² and b².

a² + b² = 49 + 4 = 53

Step 3: To find 'c', take the square root of this sum.

c = √53 ≈ 7.28 meters

So, the top of the pole is approximately 7.28 meters from the feet of the boy.

User Thehandyman
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