Question

A freshly-planted sapling is braced by 3 cables attached to a collar secured to the sapling 8 feet up the trunk. each cable is staked into the ground 3 feet from the sapling's trunk. if fastening a cable to the collar uses 8 inches of cable and fastening it to its stake also uses 8 inches of cable, about how much cable has been used

Answer 1

The slant length of each cable can be calculated using Pythagoras Theorem,
L= √ (8^2+3^2)
= √ (64+9)
= √ (73)
Total length of each cable
T = L + 8/12 + 8/12
= √ (73) + 4/3 
Total length of cables required
= 3T 
= 3 ( √ 73 + 4/3)
=( 3 √ 73 + 4 ) feet