Question

Edna is fishing from a small boat. A fish swimming at the same depth as the hook at the end of her fishing line is 12 feet away from the hook. If Edna is 20 feet away from the fish, how far below Edna is the hook?

Answer 1

8 feet

Explanation:

Answer 2

16 feet

Explanation:

The geometry of the problem can be modeled by a right triangle. The Pythagorean theorem tells us the relationship between the various distances.

EH² +HF² = EF²

EH² + 12² = 20²

EH² = 400 -144

EH = √256 = 16

The hook is 16 feet below Edna.