Question

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 ?

Answer 1

Let AB be the pole and AC be the wire.

In ΔABC, using Pythagoras theorem
$A{C}^2=A{B}^2+B{C}^2$
${24}^2={18}^2+B{C}^2$
$B{C}^2=576–324$
$B{C}^2=252$
BC =

BC = m

Hence, the distance of the stake from the base of the pole is m.