Final answer:
To determine the length of the cable needed to prevent the pole from leaning any farther, use trigonometry. By using the tangent function with the angle of lean, the length of the cable can be calculated to be approximately 39.5 meters.
Step-by-step explanation:
To determine the length of the cable needed to prevent the pole from leaning any farther, we can use trigonometry. The cable forms a right triangle with the pole and the ground. We know the length of the pole (15.0 m) and the height from the base to where the cable is secured (10.2 m). We also know the angle of lean (7°) from the vertical. Using the tangent function, we can calculate the length of the cable as follows:
Tan(7°) = (15.0 m - 10.2 m) / x
Solving for x, the length of the cable:
x = (15.0 m - 10.2 m) / Tan(7°)
Plugging in the numbers:
x = (4.8 m) / Tan(7°)
x ≈ 39.5 m
Therefore, the length of the cable needed is approximately 39.5 meters.