Math 8 ( Period 1)

Use the Pythagorean Theorem 5-6

We use the Pythagorean Theorem to solve many real word problems:

The Pythagorean Theorem formula: a² + b² = c²

For example, the height of a ladder leaning on a building (that’s a right triangle)
The height of a tree if you know the height of the ladder leaning against it and how far the ladder is from the base of the tree

The length of a wire needed to support a flag pole if you know its height.

The height of a kite if you know the length of its string and how far it is away from where you are standing.

As long as you can visualize the problem as a RIGHT TRIANGLE you can use the formula to solve for an unknown measurement.

Example 1: How high a 10 foot ladder reaches on a house
A 10 ft ladder is placed on a house  5 ft away from the base of the house.
Find how high up the house the ladder reaches
The ladder makes a right triangle with the ground being one leg, the house being the other and the ladder is actually the hypotenuse.
You need to find the distance on the house so you are finding one of th legs in the right triangle.

Example 2: You are flying your kite for the kite project and you want to know how long the kite string must be so that it can reach a height of 13 ft in the air if you area standing 9 feet away from where the kite is in the air.  The string represents the hypotenuse. You know one leg is the height in the air ( 13 ft) and the other leg is how far on the ground you are standing away from where the kite  is flying ( 9ft) This time you need to find the hypotenuse

The Pythagorean Theorem formula: a² + b² = c²