Form 2 Maths.. Real-life examples of Pythagoras' Theorem

The following consists of real life applications of Pythagoras' Theorem

1 Height of a Building

Firemen, construction workers, and other workers often rely on the use of ladders in their line of work. They make use of the Pythagorean Theorem in various situations. For example, the height to a second story window may be 25 feet, and a window cleaner may need to put the ladder ten feet away from the house in order to avoid the bushes or flowers. How long of a ladder does the window cleaner need in order to achieve this task? (25)^2 + (10)^2 = c^2, or the length of ladder needed. 625 + 100 = 725. The square root of 725 is approximately 27, so the window cleaner would need a ladder 27 feet long.

2 Two friends meeting at a specific destination

Let’s say Bob and Larry are meeting at Blockbuster on the corner of Park and Pleasant Street. Presently, Bob is on Park Street to and is 8 miles away. Meanwhile, Larry is on Pleasant Street 7 miles away. How far away are they from each other? (8)^2 + (7)^2 = distance between Bob and Larry. 64 + 49 = 113. The square root of 113 is approximately 10.6. Thus, this is how far apart Bob and Larry are from each other.

3 Ramp of a moving truck

The height of a moving truck is 4 feet. The distance from the bottom edge of a ramp on the ground to the truck is 6 feet. How long is the ramp? (4)^2 + (6)^2 = length of ramp.

16 + 36 = 52. The square root of 52 is approximately 7.2, which is the length of the ramp.

4 Measurement of TV

Television sets are generally measured diagonally, thus classifying them as 13 inches, 27 inches, 36 inches, and so forth. Suppose we want to purchase an entertainment center, but it only holds enough room in it’s cubicle for a 27 inch TV set. We initially know that the length of our TV is 15 inches, and the height of our TV is 12 inches. Will our TV be able to fit into the cubicle? (15)^2 + (12)^2 = 369. The square root of 369 is approximately 19.2 inches. Therefore, our TV will fit with plenty of room to spare.