Question

A circus tent is in the shape of a square pyramid. Each edge of the square base is 20 meters and its slant height is 13.5 meters. Find the height of the tent. Round the answer to the nearest tenth.
A. 14.8 centimeters
B. 16.8 meters
C. 24.1 centimeters
D. 9.1 meters

Answer 1

Slant height, l, forms a right triangle with the pyramid height, h, and half the base side (10 m). So

h = sqrt(l^2 - (s/2)^2) = sqrt(13.5^2 - 10^2) = sqrt(182.25 - 100) = sqrt(82.25) ≈ 9.1 m.

Answer: D.