Pythagorean Theorem Word Problems

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Videos, worksheets, solutions, and activities to help Algebra 1 students learn how to solve Pythagorean theorem word problems.

Pythagorean Theorem Word Problems
In this lesson, students use the Pythagorean Theorem to find missing side lengths of right triangles in a variety of word problems for example ladders that lean against a building.
Example: A 17-meter piece of string is stretched from the top of a 15-meter flagpole to the ground. How far is the base of the flagpole from the end of the piece of string? Word Problems Using the Pythagorean Theorem - Example 1
Example: If an equilateral triangle has a height of 8, find the length of each side. Word Problems Using the Pythagorean Theorem - Example 2
Example: Two cyclists start from the same location. One cyclist travel north, the other due east, at the same speed. Find the speed of each in miles per hour if after two hours they are \(17\sqrt 2 \) miles apart. Word Problems Using the Pythagorean Theorem - Example 3
Example: Two vars start from the same intersection with one traveling southbound while the other travels eastbound going 10 mph faster. If after 2 hours they are \(10\sqrt {34} \) miles apart, how fast was each car traveling?