Woody the Woodpecker

Question

Woody Woodpecker pecked at a 19 m wooden pole until it cracked and the upper part fell with the top hitting the ground 10 m from the foot of the pole. Since the upper part had not completely broken off, Woody pecked away where the pole had cracked. How far was Woody above the ground?

Round your final answer to one decimal place.

Answer 1

Draw and label a diagram.

h represents the height at which Woody is pecking

19 - h represesnts the portion cracking off

By Pythagoras

(19 - h)² = 10² + h²

Can you solve for h and answer?