<PRE><B>Question 288956</B>
let the height at which the wire is attached to the pole be x

Distance along ground from wire to base of pole = x+4

The length of the wire is 20 feet

using the pythagoras theorem

x^2+(x+4)^2 = 20^2

x^2+x^2+8x+16=400

2x^2+8x-384=0

x^2 +4x-192=0

x^2 +16x-12x-192=0

x(x+16)-12(x+16)=0

(x+16)(x-12)=0

x=12 

12 feet from the bottom of the pole



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