SOLUTION: A guy wire is attached to a pole 3 feet from the top. The wire is 36 feet long and it is fastened to an anchor in the ground that is 12 feet from the base of the pole. How tall is

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Question 1010386: A guy wire is attached to a pole 3 feet from the top. The wire is 36 feet long and it is fastened to an anchor in the ground that is 12 feet from the base of the pole. How tall is the pole?
I know I have to use the pythagoreum theorum but I don't know how to set up the equation.

Found 2 solutions by josgarithmetic, MathTherapy:
Answer by josgarithmetic(39617) About Me  (Show Source):
You can put this solution on YOUR website!
Make the diagram, figure, or picture. The way it "looks", hypotenuse is 36, leg on the ground is 12, and the other leg of the triangle is some y-3, if y is the length of the pole. If this makes sense to you now, then you know what to do.

Do you need to see the algebra steps starting from use of Pythagorean theorem?


Final result, y=3%2B6sqrt%286%29

Answer by MathTherapy(10552) About Me  (Show Source):
You can put this solution on YOUR website!

A guy wire is attached to a pole 3 feet from the top. The wire is 36 feet long and it is fastened to an anchor in the ground that is 12 feet from the base of the pole. How tall is the pole?
I know I have to use the pythagoreum theorum but I don't know how to set up the equation.
Let the height up to the point where the guy wire is attached to the pole, be A 
Then we can say that: A%5E2+%2B+12%5E2+=+36%5E2
A%5E2+=+36%5E2+-+12%5E2+
A+=+matrix%281%2C3%2Csqrt%2836%5E2+-+12%5E2%29%2C+or%2C+33.94113%29
Height of pole: 33.94113 + 3, or highlight_green%2836.94113%29 feet