20) The pyramid of Menkaure at Giza has a square base. The length of the diagonal of the base is 154 m.
Find the side length of the base, to the nearest metre.

Verified Answer :

To solve for the side length of the base of the pyramid of Menkaure given that the diagonal of the base is 154 meters, let's utilize the properties of a square and the Pythagorean theorem. Here is a step-by-step method:

1. Understanding the relationship in a square:
- A square has four sides of equal length.
- The diagonal of a square splits it into two right-angled triangles.

2. Apply the Pythagorean Theorem:
- In each right-angled triangle formed by the diagonal, the two sides are equal (both are the side length of the square, let's call it \(\(a\)\)), and the diagonal is the hypotenuse.
- By the Pythagorean theorem: \(\( \text{diagonal}^2 = \text{side}^2 + \text{side}^2 \)\)

3. Set up the equation:
\(\[ d^2 = a^2 + a^2 \]\)
\(\[ d^2 = 2a^2 \]\)

4. Solve for the side length \(\(a\)\):
- Given that the diagonal \(\(d\)\) is 154 m:
\(\[ 154^2 = 2a^2 \]\)
- Calculate \(\(154^2\)\) to get the value:
\(\[ 154^2 = 23716 \]\)
\(\[ 23716 = 2a^2 \]\)
- Divide both sides by 2:
\(\[ a^2 = \frac{23716}{2} \]\)
\(\[ a^2 = 11858 \]\)
- Now, take the square root of both sides:
\(\[ a = \sqrt{11858} \]\)

5. Calculate the value:
\(\[ a = \sqrt{11858} \approx 108.89444430272832 \]\)

6. Round to the nearest meter:
\(\[ a \approx 109 \text{ meters} \]\)

Therefore, the side length of the base of the pyramid of Menkaure, rounded to the nearest meter, is 109 meters.