Use the image to answer the question.
An illustration shows a square pyramid with labeled parts. The left, front and right faces of the pyramid and base are visible. The back face is not visible. The back base edge is not visible but its position is indicated by a dashed line. The front base edge shows a length of 40 feet. A dotted line extends from the interior of the vertex straight down to the center of the base and is labeled h. A right angle is indicated where the dotted height line meets the base. Another dotted line extends from the center of the base where the height line meets to the center of the right base edge. A dotted line extends from the right base edge straight up the center of the right face of the prism and meets the height line at the vertex. This dotted line shows a slant height of 25 feet.
Apply the Pythagorean Theorem to determine the height of the square pyramid, h . Round the answer to the nearest tenth
15.0 ft.
15.0 ft.
32.0 ft.
32.0 ft.
47.2 ft.
47.2 ft.
31.2 ft.
To apply the Pythagorean Theorem, we can create a right triangle using the slant height, h, and the height line. The slant height is given as 25 feet, and the height line is the missing side of the triangle.
Using the Pythagorean Theorem, we can set up the equation:
(h)^2 + (25)^2 = (40/2)^2
Simplifying this equation, we have:
h^2 + 625 = 400
Subtracting 625 from both sides, we get:
h^2 = -225
Since we cannot have a negative value for the height, we can conclude that the height of the square pyramid, h, is not a real number.
Therefore, the answer is not listed among the options provided.