The height of the truck bed is 4.33 feet, computed using the Pythagoras Theorem.
What is the Pythagoras Theorem?
According to the Pythagoras Theorem, in a right triangle, the square of the hypotenuse, that is, the square of the side opposite to the right angle is equal to the sum of the squares of the legs, that is, the other two sides.
If a and b are the legs of a right triangle, and c is its hypotenuse, then by the Pythagoras Theorem, we can write:
a² + b² = c².
How to solve the question?
In the question, we are asked if we have a seven-foot ramp and the truck bed is five and a half feet from the door, how far above the ground is the truck bed.
If we take the truck bed to be AB, the distance between the truck bed and the door to be BC = 5.5 feet, and the ramp to be AC = 7 feet, we get a right triangle ABC.
The hypotenuse of this right triangle is AC.
Thus, by the Pythagoras Theorem, we can write that:
AB² + BC² = AC².
Substituting the known values, we get:
AB² + 5.5² = 7²,
or, AB² = 7² - 5.5² = 49 - 30.25 = 18.75,
or, AB = √18.75 = 4.33.
Thus, the height of the truck bed is 4.33 feet, computed using the Pythagoras Theorem.
Learn more about the Pythagoras Theorem at
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