A pole is held vertically by attaching wires at a height of 13.4 m above the ground. The other end of each wire is anchored in the ground at a distance of 9.54 m from the base of the pole. The pole makes a right angle with the ground. What is the length of each wire?
A)14.1 m
B)19.7 m
C)11.5 m
D)16.4 m
E)22.8 m

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

We can use the Pythagorean theorem to solve for the length of each wire. Let's label the wires as a and b. Then:

a² + 9.54² = 13.4²  (using the height of the pole as the longer side in the right triangle)
a² + 91.1716 = 179.56
a² = 88.3884
a ≈ 9.4

b² + 9.54² = 13.4² (using the distance from the base of the pole as the longer side in the right triangle)
b² + 91.1716 = 179.56
b² = 88.3884
b ≈ 9.4

Therefore, the length of each wire is approximately 16.4 meters (rounded to one decimal place).

A Pole Is Held Vertically by Attaching Wires at a Height