Answer:
about 36.3 feet
Step-by-step explanation:
Let x represent the height of the kite in feet. Then (x-22) is the horizontal distance to the kite. The Pythagorean theorem tells you the string length is related to these distances by ...
... 39² = x² + (x-22)²
... 2x² -44x -1037 = 0 . . . . rearrange to standard form
Using the quadratic formula, the positive solution is ...
... x = (-b+√(b²-4ac))/(2a) . . . . for a=2, b=-44, c=-1037
... x = (44 + √((-44)² -4(2)(-1037)))/(2·2)
... x = 11 + √639.5 ≈ 36.288
The kite is about 36.3 feet above the ground.
