Question

A fence is going to diagonally divide a 30 foot by 24 foot rectangular garden in half. Approximately how long, in feet, should the fence be?

19
27
38
46
54

Answer 1

Answer:38

Explanation:

The diagonal of a rectangle creates the hypotenuse of a right triangle. Use the Pythagorean theorem, a2 + b2 = c2, where a = 30 ft and b = 24 ft, to calculate the length of the fence c.

a2 + b2 = c2

302 + 242 = c2

900 + 576 = c2

1476 = c2

38.42 ≈ c

The fence should be about 38 feet long. Isn't it strange to divide a garden in half diagonally with a fence? It doesn't seem to serve the purpose of keeping intruders out. It doesn't seem to serve any purpose, really.