Problem 3 of 34geo-003
A straight support wire feet long runs from the top of a vertical flagpole to a point on level ground feet from the base of the pole. How tall, in feet, is the flagpole?
Try it first
The walkthrough opens once you check an answer.
Solution walkthrough1:48
- The pole is vertical and the ground is level, so the pole, the ground and the wire form a right triangle.
- The wire is across from the right angle, so it is the hypotenuse, . The pole is a leg, .
- Pythagorean theorem: , with the hypotenuse. So .
- , so and .
- Traps: adds , is just , and is before the square root.