Question

A 16 foot pole is supported by two wires that extend from the top of the pole to points that are each 12 feet from the base of the pole. find the total length of the two wires. round to the nearest tenth, if necessary

Answer 1

Please have a look at diagram attached.

We can use Pythagorean theorem to find lenght of each wire.

x^2 = 16^2 + 12^2

x^2 = 256 + 144

x^2 = 400

x = 20

Lenght of one wire is 20

Hence lenght of two wires would be 20 * 2 = 40 feet : Answer

Hope it will help you :)