Question

A sail is in the shape of a right triangle. The side of the sail opposite the right angle measures 62.8 ft. The height of the sail measures 60 ft. Which is the width of the sail to the nearest tenth of a foot?

Answer 1

18.53 feet

Explanation:

From the description given by 62.8 ft it is the hypotenuse and 60 is one of the legs, therefore, we can calculate the other leg by applying the Pythagorean theorem:

c ^ 2 = a ^ 2 + b ^ 2 18.53 feet

62.8 ^ 2 = 60 ^ 2 + b ^ 2

b ^ 2 = 3943.84 - 3600

b ^ 2 = 343.84

b = 18.54 18.53 feet

which means that the width of the sail is 18.53 feet