Question

A vertical pole 145 ft high is supported by three guy wires attached to thetop and reaching the ground at distances of 60 ft, 108 ft, and 200 ft fromthe foot of the pole. What is the length of each wire?

Answer 1

see the figure below to better understand the problem

To find out the length of each wire, apply the Pythagorean Theorem

wire 1

Right triangle ABC

AC^2=AB^2+BC^2

substitute given values

AC^2=145^2+60^2

AC^2=24,625

AC=156.92 ft

wire 2

Right triangle ABD

AD^2=AB^2+BD^2

AD^2=145^2+108^2

AD^2=32,689

AD=180.80 ft

wire 3

Right triangle ABE

AE^2=AB^2+BE^2

AE^2=145^2+200^2

AE^2=61,025

AE=247.03 ft