Question

A rope is attached to a tent pole at a height of 3.5 feet above the ground. The rope connects to a point that is 6.8 feet from the bottom of the pole. To the nearest tenth of a foot, what is the length of the rope? 7.6 ft 1.2 ft 5.8 ft 4.5 ft

Answer 1

I'm sorry but I'm confused, Is the rope connected like A or B, if it's connected like the picture A then it's 5.8ft but if connected like B then it is 7.6ft

Answer 2

The length of the rope is 7.6 ft ( approx )

Explanation:

Let, The line segment AB shows the length of the pole, ( where A is the top and B is the bottom ) and line segment AC shows the rope,

According to the question,

AB = 3.5 ft,

BC = 6.8 ft,

Since, the pole must be vertical with respect to the ground,

That is, ∠ABC = 90°,

Thus, by Pythagoras theorem,

AC² = AB² + BC²

⇒ AC² = 3.5² + 6.8² = 12.25 + 46.24 = 58.49,

⇒ AC = √ 58.49 = 7.64787552 ≈ 7.6 ft

Hence, the length of the rope is approximately 7.6 ft.