A flat screen television is advertised as being 59 inches on its diagonal. If the TV is 13 inches tall, then how wide is the screen?
To determine the width of the flat screen television, we can use the concept of a right triangle. The diagonal of the TV represents the hypotenuse, while the height and width of the screen form the other two sides.
Let's assume that the width of the screen is represented by "w" inches.
In the given problem, the diagonal of the TV is 59 inches, and the height is 13 inches.
To find the width, we can use the Pythagorean theorem, which states that in a right triangle, the square of the hypotenuse is equal to the sum of the squares of the other two sides.
Applying this theorem to our scenario, we have:
(diagonal)^2 = (height)^2 + (width)^2
(59 inches)^2 = (13 inches)^2 + (w inches)^2
Now, let's solve for "w".
(59 inches)^2 - (13 inches)^2 = (w inches)^2
3481 inches^2 - 169 inches^2 = (w inches)^2
3312 inches^2 = (w inches)^2
Taking the square root of both sides, we have:
w inches = sqrt(3312 inches^2)
Now, we can use a calculator or the square root function to find the value of the square root of 3312. In this case, the width of the screen is approximately 57.53 inches.
Therefore, the width of the flat screen television is approximately 57.53 inches.
To find the width of the flat screen television, we can use the Pythagorean theorem.
Let's denote the width as x. According to the information provided, the height is 13 inches, and the diagonal is 59 inches.
Using the Pythagorean theorem, which states that the square of the hypotenuse equals the sum of the squares of the other two sides, we can set up the following equation:
x^2 + 13^2 = 59^2
Simplifying this equation, we have:
x^2 + 169 = 3481
Subtracting 169 from both sides, we get:
x^2 = 3481 - 169
x^2 = 3312
Taking the square root of both sides, we find:
x = √3312
Using a calculator, we find that the square root of 3312 is approximately 57.56.
Therefore, the width of the flat screen television is approximately 57.56 inches.
Pythagoras
w^2 + 13^2 = 59^2