SOLUTION: A telephone pole has a wire attached to its top that is anchored to the ground. The distance from the bottom of the pole to the anchor point is 56 feet less than the height of the

Algebra ->  Coordinate Systems and Linear Equations  -> Linear Equations and Systems Word Problems -> SOLUTION: A telephone pole has a wire attached to its top that is anchored to the ground. The distance from the bottom of the pole to the anchor point is 56 feet less than the height of the       Log On


   

Question 1165690: A telephone pole has a wire attached to its top that is anchored to the ground. The distance from the bottom of the pole to the anchor point is 56 feet less than the height of the pole. If the wire is to be 8 feet longer than the height of the pole, what is the height of the pole?
Answer by greenestamps(13200) About Me  (Show Source):
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height of pole: x
distance from bottom of pole to anchor point: x-56
length of wire: x+8

Assuming a vertical pole on level ground, those three lengths form a right triangle with legs x and x-56 and hypotenuse x+8.

x%5E2%2B%28x-56%29%5E2+=+%28x%2B8%29%5E2

Solve the equation (by simplifying and factoring, or using a graphing calculator) to find two positive values for x, only one of which makes sense....