Pythagorean Theorem: Real-World Challenges for 8th Graders

A ladder is leaning against a wall. The foot of the ladder is 6 feet away from the wall, and the ladder reaches a height of 8 feet on the wall. How long is the ladder?

• 10 feet

• 12 feet

• 8 feet

• 14 feet

A rectangular park has a length of 10 meters and a width of 24 meters. What is the distance between two opposite corners of the park?

• 20 meters

• 30 meters

• 22 meters

• 26 meters

A right triangle has one leg measuring 9 cm and the other leg measuring 12 cm. What is the length of the hypotenuse?

• 15 cm

• 17 cm

• 13 cm

• 10 cm

A baseball diamond is a square with each side measuring 90 feet. What is the distance from home plate to second base?

• 90 feet

• 90√2 feet

• 180 feet

• 45√2 feet

A 15-foot tall tree casts a shadow that is 9 feet long. If you stand 12 feet away from the base of the tree, how far are you from the top of the tree?

• 15 feet

• 12 feet

• 9 feet

• Approximately 19.2 feet

A right triangle has a hypotenuse of 13 cm and one leg measuring 5 cm. What is the length of the other leg?

• 6 cm

• 12 cm

• 10 cm

• 8 cm

A ramp is needed to load a truck that is 4 feet high. If the base of the ramp is 3 feet away from the truck, how long does the ramp need to be?

• 5 feet

• 7 feet

• 4 feet

• 6 feet

A kite is flying at a height of 30 meters. If the string is 50 meters long, how far is the kite from the point directly below it on the ground?

• 35 meters

• 20 meters

• 40 meters

• 45 meters

A swimming pool is rectangular with a length of 20 meters and a width of 15 meters. What is the diagonal distance across the pool?

• 25 meters

• 22 meters

• 18 meters

• 30 meters

A right triangle has a hypotenuse of 10 inches and one leg measuring 6 inches. What is the length of the other leg?

• 5 inches

• 7 inches

• 8 inches

• 9 inches