The sides view of a wall in Luke's office is shown below. The diagonal support piece is 17 centimeters, and the piece against the wall is 8 centimeters. What is the approximate measure of w, the total shelf? please use step by step instructions.

Answer: H. 22 centimeters
Step-by-step explanation:
A right angle triangle is formed. To determine w, we would apply Pythagoras theorem which is expressed as
Hypotenuse² = opposite side² + adjacent side²
From the diagram,
Hypotenuse = 17 cm
Opposite side = 8 cm
Adjacent side = w - 7
Therefore,
17² = 8² + (w - 7)²
289 = 64 + (w - 7)²
289 - 64 = (w - 7)²
225 = (w - 7)²
Taking square root of both sides if the equation, it becomes
w - 7 = √225 = 15
w = 15 + 7
w = 22 cm