Question

rey climbs a tower that is 16 meters tall to ride a straight water slide. after landing in the splash pool, she walks 11 meters back to the base of the tower. what is the length of the slide? provide an answer accurate to the nearest tenth.

Explanation:

Step1: Identify the right - angled triangle

The height of the tower is one leg ($a = 16$ m), the distance from the splash - pool to the base of the tower is the other leg ($b = 11$ m), and the water slide is the hypotenuse ($c$).

Step2: Apply the Pythagorean theorem

The Pythagorean theorem is $c=\sqrt{a^{2}+b^{2}}$. Substitute $a = 16$ and $b = 11$ into the formula: $c=\sqrt{16^{2}+11^{2}}=\sqrt{256 + 121}=\sqrt{377}$.

Step3: Calculate the value of $c$

$\sqrt{377}\approx19.4$ (rounded to the nearest tenth).

Answer:

$19.4$ m