Question

mabel just went down the slide at the playground. she walks 5 feet to get from the end of the slide back to the ladder. then she climbs 6 feet to the top of the slide again. how long is the slide? if necessary, round to the nearest tenth.

Explanation:

Step1: Identify the right - triangle

The distance from the end of the slide to the ladder is one leg ($a = 5$ feet) and the height from the ground to the top of the slide is the other leg ($b = 6$ feet) of a right - triangle. The length of the slide is the hypotenuse $c$.

Step2: Apply the Pythagorean theorem

The Pythagorean theorem is $c=\sqrt{a^{2}+b^{2}}$. Substitute $a = 5$ and $b = 6$ into the formula: $c=\sqrt{5^{2}+6^{2}}=\sqrt{25 + 36}=\sqrt{61}$.

Step3: Calculate the value

$\sqrt{61}\approx7.8$ (rounded to the nearest tenth).

Answer:

$7.8$