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Snapped Palm Tree
Age
14 to 16
Short
Challenge Level
Secondary curriculum
Problem
Solutions
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
.