Question

: David measured the floor of his storage unit, which is rectangular. ​It is 12 meters wide and 15 meters from one corner to opposite corner. ​ ​How long is the storage unit?

Answer 1

Answer: 9 meters

Step-by-step explanation:

A line between two opposite corners splits the floor into two right angled triangles, therefore we can use Pythagoras’ Theorem which is:

a^2 + b^2 = c^2

where c is the hypotenuse, and a and b are the other two sides.

Hypotenuse in this question is 15 metres while one side is 12 metres. The length will now be:

a^2 + b^2 = c^2

12^2 + b^2 = 15^2

b^2 = 15^2 - 12^2

b^2 = 225 - 144

b^2 = 81

b = ✓81

b = 9m

The length of the storage unit is 9m