Question

engineers frequently use triangular trusses in the design of bridges. Examine the illustration below. Determine the length of the beans required for the length of the base of this design

Answer 1

Okay. So the two sides f the very end right triangle are 10 and 8, 10 is the hypothesis. To find the missing side, you can use the Pythagorean Theorem, which is a² + b² = c². So just fill in the values (c is the hypothesis).

8² + b² = 10²         Square the numbers.
64 + b² = 100       Subtract.
b² = 36                 Find the square roots.
b = 6   

So now you know that the bottom of the right triangle is 6 ft. Now double that to find the base of the whole entire acute triangle, so 12 inches. And you know that the base of the design is made of four triangles, so do 12 x 4. The base of the design is 48 ft.