Question

Two poles of heights 6 m and 11 m stand on a plane ground. If the distance between their feet is 12 m. Find the distance between their tops.

Answer 1

Let the distance between the tops of the poles is the distance between points A and B.

We can see from the given figure that points A, B and C form a right triangle, with AB as the hypotenuse.

By using the Pythagoras Theorem in $△$ ABC, we get

$(11-6{)}^2+{12}^2=A{B}^2$

$A{B}^2=25+144$

$A{B}^2=169$

$AB=13m$

Hence, the distance between the tops of the poles is 13 m.