A satellite, B, is 17,000 miles from the horizon of Earth. Earth's radius is about 4,000 miles. Find the approximate distance the satellite is from the Earth's surface. The diagram is not to scale.

1) The distance of 17,000 miles from the horizon of Earth is a height, this is a perpendicular distance with respect to the radius.

2) You can form a right triangle with the two legs 17,000 (height of the satellite) and 4,000 (the radius of the Earth).

With that the unknown variable is the distance of the satellite from the Earh's surface:

x^2 = (17,000 mile) ^2 + (4,000 mile) ^2 = 305,000,00

x = 17,464, 25 miles ≈ 17,464 miles.

Answer: 17,464 miles.