Question

A tent pole that is 5 feet tall is secured to the ground with a piece of rope that is 13 feet long from the top of the tent pole to the ground. Determine the number of feet from the tent pole to the rope along the ground.

12 feet
8 feet
25 feet
30 feet

Answer 1

To determine the number of feet from the tent pole to the rope along the ground, we can create a right triangle with the tent pole, the ground, and the rope as the hypotenuse.

Using the Pythagorean theorem, we can find the length of the base of the triangle, which represents the number of feet from the tent pole to the rope along the ground.

The Pythagorean theorem states that in a right triangle, the square of the hypotenuse is equal to the sum of the squares of the other two sides.

Let's call the number of feet from the tent pole to the rope along the ground "x".

Using the Pythagorean theorem, we have:

x^2 + 5^2 = 13^2

x^2 + 25 = 169

Subtracting 25 from both sides, we get:

x^2 = 144

Taking the square root of both sides, we get:

x = 12

Therefore, the number of feet from the tent pole to the rope along the ground is 12 feet. Answer: \boxed{12}.