Find the missing length. Round to the nearest tenth, If necessary.

Using the formula a² + b² = c² but reversing it to c² - b² = x² where x replaces the a for comprehension reasons

so this is the formula
c² - b² = x²

insert the numbers on the triangle in the picture
21² - 8² = 377

since 377 is squared and not the side length, we need to square root it to find x
√377 = 19.4~

x = 19.4

ANSWER

A. 14.0 ft

EXPLANATION

The function that can be used to find the length of the beam is

From the question, we were given that, the beam that rests against the wall makes an angle of 50° with the floor.

This implies that;

We substitute this value into the formula to obtain,

Using a calculator, we have

to the nearest tenth.

The correct answer is A