The shipping box has a length of 30 inches and a height of 6 inches. How wide should the box be to fit the 36-inch bat? Show and explain your work.

width = 18.97 inches

Step-by-step explanation:

To find the smallest width of the box to fit the bat, we need to put the bat in the diagonal of the box.

The diagonal of the box is given by:

diagonal^2 = length^2 + width^2 + height^2

Then, using the diagonal = 36 inches, length = 30 inches and height = 6 inches, we have:

36^2 = 30^2 + width^2 + 6^2

1296 = 900 + width^2 + 36

width^2 = 360

width = 18.97 inches