A plank of wood is 33 inches long. It is rested against a wall with a height of 16 inches, as shown. Using...
Using Pythagoras' theorem, work out the horizontal distance between the wall and the bottom of the ramp. Give your answer to 1 d.p.
To find the horizontal distance, we can use Pythagoras' theorem: a² + b² = c², where c is the hypotenuse (33 inches), a is the height (16 inches), and b is the horizontal distance.
Rearrange to find b: b² = c² - a²
b² = 33² - 16²
b² = 1089 - 256
b² = 833
b = √833 ≈ 28.8
The horizontal distance is approximately 28.8 inches.
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