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Age 14 to 16 Short Challenge Level:
A palm tree that was 16 metres tall has snapped in a storm, so that the top of the palm tree has landed 8 metres from the base.
What is the height of the piece of the trunk that is still standing (vertically)?
This problem is adapted from the World Mathematics Championships
You can find more short problems, arranged by curriculum topic, in our short problems collection.
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NRICH is part of the family of activities in the Millennium Mathematics Project.
NRICH is part of the family of activities in the Millennium Mathematics Project.