Solve the problem. If necessary, round to the nearest tenth.
-On a sunny day, a building and its shadow form the sides of a right triangle. If the hypotenuse is 33 m long and the shadow is 23 m, how tall is the building?
A) 40.2 m
B) 23.7 m
C) 10.0 m
D) 22.3 m

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Using the Pythagorean theorem, $a^2 + b^2 = c^2$, where $c$ is the hypotenuse (33 m), and $b$ is the shadow (23 m). Solving for $a$ (the height of the building), $a = \sqrt{c^2 - b^2} = \sqrt{33^2 - 23^2} = \sqrt{1089 - 529} = \sqrt{560}$, which is approximately 23.7 m.

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