Asked by nemos

a roof rises by 2 meters and has a diagonal length of 12 meters how long is it across the bottom of the roof

Answers

Answered by GPT-4o
To find the length across the bottom of the roof, we can use the Pythagorean theorem. This theorem relates the lengths of the sides of a right triangle. For a right triangle with legs \(a\) and \(b\) and hypotenuse \(c\), the theorem states that:

\[ a^2 + b^2 = c^2 \]

In this problem:
- The rise of the roof (2 meters) can be considered as one leg of the triangle (\(a\)).
- The diagonal length of the roof (12 meters) is the hypotenuse (\(c\)).
- The length across the bottom of the roof is the other leg (\(b\)), which we need to find.

Using the Pythagorean theorem:

\[ 2^2 + b^2 = 12^2 \]

That simplifies to:

\[ 4 + b^2 = 144 \]

Subtract 4 from both sides:

\[ b^2 = 140 \]

Take the square root of both sides to solve for \(b\):

\[ b = \sqrt{140} \]

\[ b \approx 11.83 \]

So, the length across the bottom of the roof is approximately 11.83 meters.

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