College

A scaffold has a diagonal support beam to strengthen it. When the scaffold is 15 feet high and 5 feet wide, how long must the support beam be?

Answer :

The length of the support beam must be [tex]${15.81 \text{ feet}}$[/tex].

To determine the length of the support beam, we can use the Pythagorean theorem, which states that in a right-angled triangle, the square of the length of the hypotenuse (the side opposite the right angle) is equal to the sum of the squares of the lengths of the other two sides.

[tex]\[ d^2 = h^2 + w^2 \][/tex]

Substituting the given values:

[tex]\[ d^2 = (15)^2 + (5)^2 \][/tex]

[tex]\[ d^2 = 225 + 25 \][/tex]

[tex]\[ d^2 = 250 \][/tex]

To find the length of the support beam (d), we take the square root of both sides:

[tex]\[ d = \sqrt{250} \][/tex]

[tex]\[ d \approx 15.81 \text{ feet} \][/tex]

Therefore, the support beam must be approximately 15.81 feet long to properly support the scaffold.

Answer:

15.81 ft

Step-by-step explanation:

Basically it's giving your 2 sides of the right angle triangle & ask you for the long side length.

15²+5²=250

√250 =15.81