Question

a guy wire 27 feet long runs from the top of the pole to a spot on the ground. I f the height of the pole is 6 feet longer than the from the base of the pole to the spot where the guy wire is anchored, how tall is the pole?

Answer 1

let x = distance from pole to spot on ground where
guy wire is attached

x + 6 = height of pole

x^2 + ( x+ 2 )^2 = 27^2

simplify and solve for x

Answer 2

Ooooops!

x^2 + (x + 6)^2 = 27^2

Don't know where I got x+ 2.

Sorry.

Answer 3

Is this really a college question? Seems too easy.

Let x represent the base of the triangle (pole to spot where the wire is). Since you said that the height of the pole is 6 feet longer than the base of the pole to where the wired is anchored. Now 6+x. 27 is the hypotenuse. Use a^2+b^2=c^2 and plug in the numbersnumbers, 29-x=6+x, do the rest and the answer will be 11.5 for x. Now add to 6, which will be 17.5.