<PRE><B>Question 692788</B>
An 81m high pole breaks but does not separate, and touches the ground 27m away from the base. At what height does it break from ground? What is the solution using the Pythagorean equation.
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Draw the picture.
You have a right triangle with base = 27
height = &quot;h&quot;, and hypotenuse = &quot;81-h&quot;
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Equation:
(81-h)^2 = h^2 + 27^2
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6561 - 162h + h^2 = h^2 + 729
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-162h = -5832
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height = 32 meters
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Cheers,
Stan H.
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