Thread: Geometry help

Selma is flying a kite. She lets out 80 feet of string. Her brother moves to a point where he is standing directly under the kite. He measures the distance to be 30 feet. How high is the kite? Please answer the question rounded to the nearest tenth.

Originally Posted by Marc9118

Selma is flying a kite. She lets out 80 feet of string. Her brother moves to a point where he is standing directly under the kite. He measures the distance to be 30 feet. How high is the kite? Please answer the question rounded to the nearest tenth.

draw a sketch, then use the Pythagorean theorem.

Originally Posted by skeeter

draw a sketch, then use the Pythagorean theorem.

I've tried doing this but it seems I cannot get the correct answer.

Originally Posted by Marc9118

I've tried doing this but it seems I cannot get the correct answer.

Your sketch should look like the attached drawing.

Use Pythagorean theorem:



Solve for h.

Since the line isn't exactly straight but a little bit curved your answer shoul be: