In a recent storm, an 18-foot utility pole broke and fell leaving a 5-foot tall portion upright. How far is the top of the pole from the base of the pole?

Question

asked Dec 7, 2022 130k views

1 Answer

Dusan Dimitrijevic · Answer 1 · 2022-12-12T13:43:25+0000

Answer:
$12\ ft$

Explanation:

Given

Total height of utility pole is 18 ft

After breakage, only 5 foot tall portion is standing

The fallen part is
$18-5=13\ ft$ in length

From the figure, apply the Pythagoras theorem

$\Rightarrow 13^2=x^2+5^2\\\Rightarrow x^2=169-25\\\Rightarrow x=√(169-25)\\\Rightarrow x=√(144)\\\Rightarrow x=12\ ft$

Thus, the fallen part is
$12\ ft$ away from the base of the pole.