A guy wire attached to a vertical pole of height 18 m is 24 m long and has a stake attached to the other end. How far from the base of the pole should the stake be driven so that the wire will be taut ?
Let AB be the pole and AC be the wire.
In ΔABC, using Pythagoras theorem
AC2=AB2+BC2
242=182+BC2
BC2=576–324
BC2=252
BC =
BC = m
Hence, the distance of the stake from the base of the pole is m.