A straight wire runs from the top of a 24 m vertical pole to a peg in level ground 10 m from the foot of the pole. How long is the wire?

14 mCorrect answerYour answer17 mCorrect answerYour answer26 mCorrect answerYour answer34 mCorrect answerYour answer

Show the answer and explanation

CorrectNot quiteAnswer C

Correct answer: C

The pole, the ground and the wire form a right triangle with the wire as the hypotenuse.
Wire = $\sqrt{24^2 + 10^2} = \sqrt{576 + 100} = \sqrt{676} = 26$ m.

Worth noting

10, 24, 26 is the 5, 12, 13 triplet doubled. 14 m and 34 m come from subtracting or adding the sides instead of squaring.

Ten questions from Lines, Triangles and Circles, at your own pace.

Ten questions from Lines, Triangles and Circles, at your own pace.

Explanation