Final answer:
To find the width of the TV, the Pythagorean theorem is applied. The diagonal (32 inches) and the height (17 inches) are known, and by using the formula a² + b² = c², the width is calculated to be approximately 27.1 inches.
Step-by-step explanation:
To find the width of the TV, we can use the Pythagorean theorem, which relates the sides of a right triangle (the width and height) to the length of the diagonal. The formula for the Pythagorean theorem is a² + b² = c², where 'a' and 'b' are the sides of the triangle and 'c' is the diagonal.
In this case, the diagonal 'c' is 32 inches, and the height 'a' is 17 inches. We want to find the width 'b'.
First, we'll square the height and the diagonal:
- a² = 17² = 289
- c² = 32² = 1024
Next, we'll find b² by subtracting a² from c²:
b² = c² - a²
b² = 1024 - 289
b² = 735
Finally, we take the square root of b² to find the width 'b':
b = √735
b ≈ 27.1 inches
So, the width of the TV is approximately 27.1 inches.