Question

John is parasailing 350 ft away from the boat that pulls him. suppose he is lifted 400 feet into the air. Find the length of the rope used to attach him to the boat. Round to the nearest tenth of a foot.

Answer 1

John
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(a)400ft
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|. \(c) length of rope
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|____________________Boat
350 ft (b)

Pythagorean theorem
a-squared + b-squared = c-squared
400-squared + 350-squared = c-squared
160,000 + 122,500 = c- squared
282,500 = c-squared
Now take the square root of each side of the equation
531.5 = c
The length of the rope is 531.5 feet