Two kids are flying a kite with a string of 50 meters long. if the kids are 35 meters apart, how high is the kite off the ground? what formula should you use to solve?
length of the string when in air (c) = 50 meters
the distance of kids apart (b) = 35 meters
the height of the kite off the ground = (a)?
To solve for the height of the kite off the ground, we can use the Pythagorean theorem, which states that in a right triangle, the square of the longest side (the hypotenuse) is equal to the sum of the squares of the other two sides.
In this case, we can consider the length of the string (c) as the hypotenuse, the distance between the kids (b) as one side, and the height of the kite off the ground (a) as the other side. Thus, we have the equation:
a^2 + b^2 = c^2
Substituting the given values:
a^2 + 35^2 = 50^2
Simplifying:
a^2 + 1225 = 2500
Subtracting 1225 from both sides:
a^2 = 1275
Taking the square root of both sides:
a ≈ √1275
Therefore, the height of the kite off the ground is approximately 35.71 meters.