SOLUTION: I have a pole that is 40ft tall and a retainer wall that is 30ft in diameter. the pole is centered within the wall at 15ft to center on all sides. My question is what would be th

Algebra ->  Length-and-distance -> SOLUTION: I have a pole that is 40ft tall and a retainer wall that is 30ft in diameter. the pole is centered within the wall at 15ft to center on all sides. My question is what would be th      Log On


   

Question 365458: I have a pole that is 40ft tall and a retainer wall that is 30ft in diameter.
the pole is centered within the wall at 15ft to center on all sides. My question is what would be the distance from the top of the wall to the top of the pole.
Answer by Theo(13342) About Me  (Show Source):
You can put this solution on YOUR website!
if the pole is sitting on top of the retainer wall, then you would find the distance from the top of the pole to the top of the retainer wall as follows

pole forms a right triangle with the retainer wall.
height of the right triangle is 40 feet.
width of right triangle is 15 feet.
distance from the top of the pole to the top of the wall is the hypotenuse of this right triangle.
use the pythagorean formula.
c = square root ( a^2 + b^2)
a = 40
b = 15
formula becomes:
c = square root ( 40^2 + 15^2)
solve for c to get c = 42.72001873 feet.
c is the hypotenuse of the right triangle which is the distance from the top of the pole to the top of the retainer wall.