Question

Side a of the triangle is a utility pole. Henry would like to know how long the guy wire, c, should be.

Answer 1

We know that the pole is perpendicular to the ground

And that the length of the pole is 20 feet tall, and the base is 15 feet

Now, the guy wire is a wire that provides support to the pole by connecting the top of the pole to the ground

So this represents a right angled triangle (refer image), and the hypotenuse is the length of the guy wire

Using Pythagoras theorem, we can find out the length of the hypotenuse

⇒ Hypotenuse² = Perpendicular² + Base²

⇒ Hypotenuse² = 20² + 15²

⇒ Hypotenuse² = 400+225

⇒ Hypotenuse² = 625

⇒ Hypotenuse = √625

⇒ Hypotenuse = 25

Hence, the correct option is B  25 ft.