Question

The wire supporting a 20-foot tall phone pole is attached to the top of the pole, and to the

ground 12 feet from the pole. How long is the wire?

Answer 1

22.36 feet

Explanation:

This situation forms a right triangle, where the wire is the hypotenuse

Use the pythagorean theorem to find the hypotenuse/wire length:

a² + b² = c²

20² + 12² = c²

400 + 144 = c²

544 = c²

22.36 = c

So, the wire is 22.36 feet long