A support wire stretches from the top of a pole that is 30 feet tall to an anchor in the ground 40 feet from the base of the pole. How long is the wire?

Question

Mathematics

Rexy

25 January, 23:46

A support wire stretches from the top of a pole that is 30 feet tall to an anchor in the ground 40 feet from the base of the pole. How long is the wire?

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Answers (2)

Know the Answer?

Ezra Villa · Answer 1

L^2=y^2+x^2

L^2=30^2+40^2

L^2=900+1600

L^2=2500

L=50ft

Blanche · Answer 2

Basically you have a right triangle with one leg measuring 30 feet and the other measuring 40 feet. You are looking for the hypotenuse of this triange.

You can use Pythagorean theorem to solve:

c²=a²+b²

c²=30²+40²

c²=900+1600

c²=2500

c=√2500

c=50 feet

OR, if you recognize the Pythagorean triple pattern of 3, 4, 5, you would know that the hypotenuse would be 50 feet