A flying squirrel lives in a nest that is 12 feet high in a tree. To reach a fallen acorn that is 16 feet from the base of the tree, how far will the flying squirrel have to glide?____ feet
Q. A flying squirrel lives in a nest that is 12 feet high in a tree. To reach a fallen acorn that is 16 feet from the base of the tree, how far will the flying squirrel have to glide?____ feet
Identify Problem: Identify the problem: We need to find the distance the squirrel must glide from its nest to the acorn. This forms a right triangle with the tree height as one leg (12 feet) and the distance from the tree to the acorn as the other leg (16 feet).
Apply Theorem: Apply the Pythagorean Theorem: Let d be the distance the squirrel glides. According to the theorem, the sum of the squares of the legs equals the square of the hypotenuse. So, 122+162=d2.
Calculate Squares: Calculate the squares: 122=144 and 162=256. Add these to find d2. 144+256=400.
Solve for Distance: Solve for d: Take the square root of both sides to find d. 400=d. Therefore, d=20.
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