Given in the figure are:
the length of the base of the triangular roof, 32 ft. The altitude of the triangle roof is 18 ft. To solve for the two other sides of the triangle, we need to use the Pythagorean Theorem:
c ^ 2
=
(a ^ 2) + b ^ 2
where c is the hypotenuse (length of the side)
a
= the length of half the base of the triangle
b
= the altitude of the triangle
We will solve one of the right triangles:
c ^ 2 =
32/2)^2 + 18^2
c
=
24.08 ft
To determine the length of the lights needed for the roof, we need to find the perimeter of the triangle:
P =
24.08 ft + 24.08 ft + 32 ft
Perimeter is equal to 80.16 ft
The total length of the lights should be approximately 80.16 ft to cover the sides of the roof.
