Question

A telegraph pole falls against a building. The foot of the pole is 23 feet away from the building and the top of the pole touches the building at a point 115 feet off the ground. What is the slope of the pole?

A) 4/9
B) 5/12
C) 9/4
D) 12/5

Answer 1

To find the slope of the pole, we can use the concept of similar triangles. Considering the pole and the building as two vertical lines, we set up a proportion between the height of the pole and the distance from the foot to the building. The slope of the pole is 5.

Step-by-step explanation:

To find the slope of the pole, we can use the concept of similar triangles.

Let's consider the pole and the building as two vertical lines.

From the given information, the length of the pole from the foot to the top where it touches the building is 115 feet, and the distance from the foot of the pole to the building is 23 feet.

We can set up a proportion between the height of the pole and the distance from the foot to the building:

(pole height)/(distance from foot to building) = (115 feet)/(23 feet)

Simplifying the proportion, we get:

(pole height)/(23 feet) = (115 feet)/(23 feet)

Therefore, the slope of the pole is 5/1 or 5.