the dimensions of a sailboats mainsail are shown below. what is the height of the sail? 32.5 ft 12.5 ft a…

Explanation:

Step1: Apply Pythagorean theorem

Let the height be $h$, the base be $a = 12.5$ ft and the hypotenuse be $c=32.5$ ft. The Pythagorean theorem is $a^{2}+h^{2}=c^{2}$, so $h=\sqrt{c^{2}-a^{2}}$.

Step2: Substitute values

$h=\sqrt{32.5^{2}-12.5^{2}}=\sqrt{(32.5 + 12.5)(32.5 - 12.5)}$ (using $x^{2}-y^{2}=(x + y)(x - y)$). $h=\sqrt{(45)(20)}=\sqrt{900}=30$ ft.

Answer:

C. 30 feet