You can
put this solution on YOUR website!it forms a right triangle.
the hypotenuse is the diagonal.
one of the legs is the vertical.
one of the legs is the horizontal.
the length of the horizontal is x + 3
the length of the vertical is x.
from the pythagorean formula:
x^2 + (x+3)^2 = 15^2
this becomes:
x^2 + x^2 + 6x + 9 = 225 which becomes:
2x^2 + 6x + 9 = 225
subtract 225 from both sides of this equation to get:
2x^2 + 6x - 216 = 0
divide both sides of this equation by 2 to get:
x^2 + 3x - 108 = 0
factor this equation to get:
(x -9) * (x + 12) = 0
this makes x = 9 or x = -12.
since x can't be negative, then x has to be equal to 9.
the diagonal is 15 feet.
the horizontal is 9 + 3 = 12
the vertical is 9.
from the pythagorean formula, 9^2 + 12^2 = 81 + 144 = 225 = 15^2 which is correct.
that's your answer.
the horizontal distance is equal to 12 feet.
the vertical distance is equal to 9 feet.
