A 20-foot-tall flag pole casts a shadow that is 15 feet long. Which of the following correctly uses the Pythagorean Theorem to solve for the distance from the top of the flag pole to the tip of its shadow.

A. 13.2 ft.
B. 625 ft.
C. 35 ft.
D. 25 ft.

1 answer

To find the distance from the top of the flag pole to the tip of its shadow, we can consider the flag pole and its shadow as forming a right triangle. The height of the flag pole (20 feet) is one leg of the triangle, the length of the shadow (15 feet) is the other leg, and the distance we're trying to find is the hypotenuse.

Let's denote:

  • \( a = 20 \) feet (height of the flag pole)
  • \( b = 15 \) feet (length of the shadow)
  • \( c \) is the length of the hypotenuse, which we want to find.

According to the Pythagorean Theorem, we have:

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

Substituting the values:

\[ c^2 = 20^2 + 15^2 \] \[ c^2 = 400 + 225 \] \[ c^2 = 625 \] \[ c = \sqrt{625} \] \[ c = 25 \]

Thus, the distance from the top of the flag pole to the tip of its shadow is 25 feet.

The correct answer is D. 25 ft.