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Two guy wires are attached to the top of a telecommunications tower and anchored to the ground on opposite sides of the tower, as shown. The length of the guy wire is 20 m more than the height of the tower. The horizontal distance from the base of the tower to where the guy wire is anchored to the ground is one-half the height of the tower. How tall is the tower, to the nearest tenth of a metre?

 Nov 19, 2015

Best Answer 

 #2
avatar+26396 
+15

Two guy wires are attached to the top of a telecommunications tower and anchored to the ground on opposite sides of the tower, as shown. The length of the guy wire is 20 m more than the height of the tower. The horizontal distance from the base of the tower to where the guy wire is anchored to the ground is one-half the height of the tower. How tall is the tower, to the nearest tenth of a metre?

 

Pythagoras:(h2)2+h2=(h+20)2h24+h2=h2+40h+400h24=40h+400h2440h400=0|4h2160h1600=0 ax2+bx+c=0x=b±b24ac2a x=b±b24ac2aa=1b=160c=1600h1,2=160±16024(1600)2h1,2=160±1602+401602h1,2=160±160(160+40)2h1,2=160±1602002h1,2=160±1600202h1,2=160±40202h1,2=160±40252h1,2=160±8052h1,2=80±405h=80+405h=40(2+5)h=169.442719100

 

The tower is 169.4 m tall.

 

laugh

 Nov 19, 2015
edited by heureka  Nov 19, 2015
edited by heureka  Nov 19, 2015
 #1
avatar+118703 
+5

This is what I am imagining is the situation.

 

 

Now use Pythagorean theorum.

 

(t+20)2=t2+(t/2)2t2+40t+400=(4t2+t2)/44t2+160t+1600=5t20=t2160t1600

 

x=160±1602+416002x=169.4427

 

The height is 169.4 m

 Nov 19, 2015
 #2
avatar+26396 
+15
Best Answer

Two guy wires are attached to the top of a telecommunications tower and anchored to the ground on opposite sides of the tower, as shown. The length of the guy wire is 20 m more than the height of the tower. The horizontal distance from the base of the tower to where the guy wire is anchored to the ground is one-half the height of the tower. How tall is the tower, to the nearest tenth of a metre?

 

Pythagoras:(h2)2+h2=(h+20)2h24+h2=h2+40h+400h24=40h+400h2440h400=0|4h2160h1600=0 ax2+bx+c=0x=b±b24ac2a x=b±b24ac2aa=1b=160c=1600h1,2=160±16024(1600)2h1,2=160±1602+401602h1,2=160±160(160+40)2h1,2=160±1602002h1,2=160±1600202h1,2=160±40202h1,2=160±40252h1,2=160±8052h1,2=80±405h=80+405h=40(2+5)h=169.442719100

 

The tower is 169.4 m tall.

 

laugh

heureka Nov 19, 2015
edited by heureka  Nov 19, 2015
edited by heureka  Nov 19, 2015

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