a wire is stretched from the top of a 26-foot pole to a point on the ground that is 15 feet from the bottom of the pole. Approximately how long is the wire in feet?

16
21
30
37

5 answers

Do it the same way I showed you, Keli/Maddox in your last post.
Use a^2 + b^2 = c^2.

26 is a

15 is b

I hope this helps! :)
It should look like the below, after you plug in the numbers as a and b.

26^2 + 15^2 = c^2

Now multiply 26 and 26 together for 26^2. Do the same for 15^2 as well.

26 x 26 = 676

15 x 15 = 225

Now add those two.

676 + 225 = ?

What do you get?

I hope this helps! :)
By adding 676 and 225 together, you should get 901.

Now have 901 = c^2

Now you figure out what number equals 901 when multiplied twice. This number will be c.

901 = c^2

? = c

I hope this helps! :)
Since you now have √901, figure out what number multiplied by itself, equals 901.

This number is: 30.016662039607268763449850971101

So:

c = 30.016662039607268763449850971101 or 30

Finally, 30 or C is the answer to the problem that was posted.

I hope this helps! :)