Title: Lesson 3-5
Author: mark_cameron
Last saved by: MHE
Company: McGraw-Hill

Lesson 3-6

Example 1    Real-World Example
SKATEBOARDING Find the height of the skateboard ramp.

Notice the problem involves a right triangle. Use the Pythagorean Theorem.

          		Replace c with 30 and b with 20.
          		Evaluate 30^2 and 20^2.
	Subtract 400 from each side.
          		Simplify.
    			Definition of square root
         			Simplify.

The height of the ramp is about 22.4 feet.

Example 2    Test EXAMPLE 
A circular lawn sprinkler with a range of 35 feet is placed 28 feet from the edge of a lawn. Find the length of the section of the lawn’s edge that is within the range of the sprinkler.

A  21 ft
B  25 ft
C  36 ft
D  42 ft

Read the Test Item
From the diagram, you know that the distance of the sprinkler from the lawn’s edge, the sprinkler’s range, and a section of the lawn’s edge all form a right triangle. The section of the lawn’s edge within the range of the sprinkler is twice the section forming the right triangle.

Solve the Test Item
Use the Pythagorean Theorem.
              
            		c = 35, a = x, b = 28
          		Evaluate 35^2 and 28^2.
		Subtract 400 from each side.
            			Simplify.
      			Definition of square root
              			Simplify.

The length of the section of the lawn’s edge within the sprinkler’s range is x + x or
21 + 21 = 42 feet. Therefore, choice D is correct.