Marshall measured the floor of his storage unit, which is rectangular. It is 8 feet wide and 9 feet from one corner to the opposite corner. How long is the storage unit? If necessary, round to the nearest tenth.(Pythagorean theorem)

Answer 1

To find the length of the storage unit using the Pythagorean theorem, we can use the formula:

a^2 + b^2 = c^2

where:
a = width of the storage unit = 8 feet
b = depth of the storage unit = unknown
c = diagonal measurement = 9 feet

Substitute the known values into the formula:

8^2 + b^2 = 9^2
64 + b^2 = 81
b^2 = 81 - 64
b^2 = 17
b = √17
b ≈ 4.1 feet

Therefore, the length of the storage unit is approximately 4.1 feet.