a telephone pole is supported by two cables attached to points on the pole 15 ft above ground and to points on the level ground 8 ft from the foot of the pole. what is the total length of the two cables

1 answer

the cables form the hypotenuse of right-angled triangles
for each one:
h^2 = 15^2 + 8^2 = 289
h = 17

length of 2 such cables = 34 ft