Anne wants to tie a support line from the top of a 50 foot radio tower to an anchor spot 30 feet from the tower’s base. Approximately how long will the line need to be?

Question

Anne wants to tie a support line from the top of a 50 foot radio tower to an anchor spot 30 feet from the tower’s base.  Approximately how long will the line need to be?

Ms. Sue · Accepted Answer

This makes a right angle triangle -- and can be solved by the Pythagorean Theorem. a^2 + b^2 = c^2 50^2 + 30^2 = c^2 2500 + 900 = c^2 3400 = c^2 58.3 = c