Question

From a point 18 feet from the base of a tower, a wire is stretched to an attachment 40 feet up the tower. A right triangle with legs of 18 ft and 40 ft. To the nearest foot, how long is the wire?

Answer 1

To find the length of the wire, use the Pythagorean theorem

a^2 + b^2 = c^2
18^2 + 40^2 = c ^2
324 + 1600 = c^2
1924 = c^2
44 = c

The wire is approximately 44 feet.