Real-World Pythagorean Problems

A ladder is leaning against a wall. The top of the ladder touches the wall at a height of 12 feet. If the ladder is 13 feet long, how far is the base of the ladder from the wall?

• 5 feet

• 6 feet

• 7 feet

• 8 feet

A rectangular park is 60 meters long and 80 meters wide. A diagonal path cuts across the park. What is the length of the diagonal path?

• 100 meters

• 90 meters

• 110 meters

• 120 meters

A tree is broken at a height of 8 meters from the ground and its top touches the ground at a distance of 6 meters from the base of the tree. What was the original height of the tree?

• 10 meters

• 12 meters

• 14 meters

• 15 meters

A kite is flying at a height of 30 meters above the ground. If the string attached to the kite is 50 meters long, what is the horizontal distance between the person holding the string and the point on the ground directly below the kite?

• 30 meters

• 40 meters

• 50 meters

• 60 meters

A swimming pool is in the shape of a right-angled triangle. The two shorter sides of the pool are 9 meters and 12 meters. What is the length of the hypotenuse?

• 15 meters

• 16 meters

• 18 meters

• 20 meters

A man wants to reach the top of a building that is 24 meters high using a ladder. If he places the ladder 7 meters away from the base of the building, how long should the ladder be?

• 25 meters

• 26 meters

• 27 meters

• 28 meters

A rectangular garden has a length of 15 meters and a width of 20 meters. A diagonal walkway is constructed across the garden. What is the length of the walkway?

• 25 meters

• 30 meters

• 35 meters

• 40 meters

A flagpole is 10 meters tall. A rope is tied from the top of the pole to a point on the ground 24 meters away from the base of the pole. How long is the rope?

• 26 meters

• 28 meters

• 30 meters

• 32 meters

A car travels 8 km north and then 15 km east. How far is the car from its starting point?

• 17 km

• 18 km

• 19 km

• 20 km

A television is mounted on a wall. The bottom of the TV is 4 feet above the floor, and the top of the TV is 5 feet above the floor. If the TV is 3 feet wide, what is the diagonal length of the TV?

• 5 feet

• 6 feet

• 7 feet

• 8 feet