Question

A 24 foot flagpole casts a shadow. The distance along the ground from the base of the pole to the tip of the shadow is 9 feet. What is the distance from the top of the pole to the tip of the shadow (nearest tenth)?

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Answer 1

9.4 feet to the nearest tenth.

Explanation:

This makes a right triangle so we use Pythagoras:

23^2 = 21^2 + d^2 where d is the required distance.

d^2 = 23^2 - 21^2

d^2 = 88

d = √88 = 9.3808