Oscar's dog house is shaped like a tent. The slanted sides are both 5 feet long and the bottom of the house is 6 feet across. What is the height of his dog house, in feet, at its tallest point?

Question

Draw a picture:

Solve:

Answer 1

We can see that the height of the tent can be found by using the Pythagorean theorem, as it forms a right triangle.

Let's label the height of the tent as h.

Using the Pythagorean theorem:

(5 ft)^2 + (h)^2 = (6 ft)^2
25 + h^2 = 36
h^2 = 11
h = √11

Therefore, the height of Oscar's dog house, at its tallest point, is approximately 3.3 feet.