Question

A guy wire attached to a vertical pole of height 18 m is 24 m long and has a stake attached to the other end. How far from the base of the pole should the stake be driven so that the wire will be taut?

Answer 1

Solution: Here; h = 24 m, p = 18 m and b = ?

From Pythagoras theorem;

b² = h² – p²

Or, b² = 24² – 18²

= 576 – 324 = 252

Or, b = √252 = 6√7 m