SOLUTION: The problem reads: The mainsail of a lightning sailboat is a right triangle in which the hypotenuse is called the leech. If a 24-ft tall mainsail has a leech length of 26 ft. and

Question 127204This question is from textbook Introductory Algebra
: The problem reads: The mainsail of a lightning sailboat is a right triangle in which the hypotenuse is called the leech. If a 24-ft tall mainsail has a leech length of 26 ft. and if Dacron sailcloth costs $10 per square foot, find the cost of a new mainsail.
Unfortunately, I'm not quite sure where to start with this one. Any help would be greatly appreciated! This question is from textbook Introductory Algebra

Answer by Earlsdon(6294) (Show Source): You can put this solution on YOUR website!
Start by finding the length of the base of the triangular sail.
Since you have a right triangle whose height is 24 feet and whose hypotenuse is 26 feet, then the base must be 10 feet because these three numbers form a pythagorean triplet of 10, 24, and 26.
To show this, use the Pythagorean formula:

Now that you know the base is 10 feet, you can find the area of the sail by:

sq.ft.
Now, at $10 per sq.ft., a sail made of Dacron will cost of 120 sq.ft X $10 = $1200.00
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