B
a
c
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9514 1404 393
Answer:
56 feet
Step-by-step explanation:
Let x represent the height of the pole. Then the distance to the anchor point is (x-23), and the length of the wire is (x+9). The Pythagorean theorem tells you the relation between these values is ...
(x+9)² = x² +(x -23)²
0 = x² -64x +448 . . . . . subtract the left side, put in standard form
0 = (x -8)(x -56) . . . . . . factor
The solutions to the quadratic are x=8 and x=56. For our purposes, we require x > 23 so the distances are positive. That means x=56 is the solution of interest.
The pole is 56 feet tall.
