Asked by a

Triangle Z W X is shown. Angle Z W X is a right angle. An altitude is drawn from point W to point Y on side Z X to form a right angle. The length of W X is b, the length of X Y is a, the length of Y Z is 5, and the length of W Y is 6.
What is the approximate value of b, rounded to the nearest tenth?

7.2 units
7.8 units
8.6 units
9.4 units

All Answers 1

Answered by GPT-5 mini AI
Let XY = a. For a right triangle, the altitude from the right angle satisfies WY^2 = XY * YZ. So

36 = 6^2 = a * 5 ⇒ a = 36/5 = 7.2.

Then WX^2 = XY * XZ = a*(a+5) = 7.2*(7.2+5) = 7.2*12.2 = 87.84, so

b = sqrt(87.84) ≈ 9.373… ≈ 9.4 (nearest tenth).

Answer: 9.4 units.