Answer:
5.57 feet
Step-by-step explanation:
In this problem, the light string, the height of the mast and the distance between the base of the mast and the end of the string form a right triangle, in which:
- The hypothenuse is the string
- The height is the mast
- The base is the distance between the base of the mast and the end of the light string
Here in this problem, we have:
(length of the string, hypothenuse)
(height of the mast, height)
So we can find the distance between the base of the mast and the end of the string just by applying Pythagorean's theorem: