document.write( "Question 51300: I have tried this one and cannot figure it out. I have tried versions of the Pythagorean Theorem. Please Help! Two posts, one 12 meters high and the other 21 meters high, are 30 meters apart. A single wire runs from the top of the first post to the ground and from the ground to the top of the second post. The wire is attached to the ground at a distance of x units from the first post. What is a function representation that states the total length of the wire? \n" ); document.write( "

Algebra.Com's Answer #34242 by venugopalramana(3286) $\"\"$ $\"About$

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I have tried this one and cannot figure it out. I have tried versions of the Pythagorean Theorem. Please Help! Two posts, one 12 meters high and the other 21 meters high, are 30 meters apart. A single wire runs from the top of the first post to the ground and from the ground to the top of the second post. The wire is attached to the ground at a distance of x units from the first post. What is a function representation that states the total length of the wire?
\n" ); document.write( "MAKE A SKETCH AS FOLLOWS
\n" ); document.write( "LET OX REPRESENT GROUND....LET AB BE ONE POST WITH A ON GROUND (OX LINE) AND B AT THE TOP...AB=12 M......LET CD BE THE SECOND POST WITH C ON GROUND (OX LINE) AND D AT THE TOP....CD=21 M....AC=30 M
\n" ); document.write( "TAKE A POINT P ON THE GROUND LINE BETWEEN A AND C ,WITH AP=X
\n" ); document.write( "NOW WE HAVE 2 RIGHT ANGLED TRIANGLES ABP AND PCD....PB AND PD ARE THE HYPOTENUSES WHICH TOGETHER REPRESENT THE WIRE LENGTH....L= PB+PD
\n" ); document.write( "BUT PB =SQRT{PA^2+AB^2}=SQRT(X^2+12^2)=SQRT(X^2+144)
\n" ); document.write( "AND PD =SQRT(PC^2+CD^2)=SQRT{(AC-PA)^2+CD^2}=SQRT{(30-X)^2+21^2}
\n" ); document.write( "HENCE THE REQUIRED FUNCTION IS
\n" ); document.write( "L=SQRT(X^2+144)+SQRT{(30-X)^2+441}
\n" ); document.write( " \n" ); document.write( "

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