Answer:
 0.485 m/s
Step-by-step explanation:
The Pythagorean theorem tells you ...
 a² = h² +x²
Differentiating with respect to time, we find ...
 0 = 2h·h' +2x·x'
Solving for x', we get ...
 x' = -h'(h/x)
To evaluate this, we need to find the value of x when h=5.4. We can do this using the original Pythagorean relation.
 7.0² = 5.4² + x²
 x = √(49-29.16) ≈ 4.454
Then the desired rate of change is ...
 x' = -(-0.4 m/s)(5.4/4.454) ≈ 0.485 m/s