Question

Kevin has a rectangular

swimming pools that is 12
feet by 16 feet. He wants
to put a rope diagonally
across the pool. How long
does the rope need to
be?

Answer 1

20 feet

Explanation:

Use Pythagoras's theorem.

`A^(2)+B^(2) =C^(2) \\12^(2) +16^(2)= C^(2) \\400 = C^(2) \\√(400)= \sqrt{C^(2)\\\\`

20 = C

Answer 2

20 feet long

Explanation:

To solve this you need to use the Pythagorean theorum,
`a^2+b^2=c^2`, where c is the length of rope needed and A and B are the side lengths. Think of it like a right triangle.

So, the equation is

`12^2+16^2=c^2`

Which is then

`144+256=c^2`

`c^2=400`

And the possible values of c are 20 and -20.

From here we know the answer cannot be -20 because you cannot have a negatively long length of rope, so the answer must be 20 feet.