Answer:
5.57 feet
Step-by-step explanation:
In this problem, the light string, the height of the mast and the distance between the base of the mast and the end of the string form a right triangle, in which:
- The hypothenuse is the string
- The height is the mast
- The base is the distance between the base of the mast and the end of the light string
Here in this problem, we have:
[tex]L=16 ft[/tex] (length of the string, hypothenuse)
[tex]h=15 ft[/tex] (height of the mast, height)
So we can find the distance between the base of the mast and the end of the string just by applying Pythagorean's theorem:
[tex]d=\sqrt{L^2-h^2}=\sqrt{16^2-15^2}=5.57 ft[/tex]
