Question

Suppose you could climb to the top of the Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt. Which path would be shorter, climbing a lateral edge or the slant height? Justify your response.

Answer 1

Check the picture below.

if you go from the slant height, the path is shorter to the top, since the hypotenuse is the longest of all sides in a right-triangle.

that said, is shorter but is also steeper, so the lateral edge is longer but less steep and thus a bit simpler though longer, but we're only asked on which is shorter.