Two poles, AB and ED, are fixed to the ground with the help of ropes AC and EC, as shown:

Two right triangles ABC and EDC have a common vertex C. Angle ABC and EDC are right angles. AB is labeled 11 feet, AC is labeled 13 feet, EC is labeled 10 feet, and ED is labeled 5 feet.

What is the approximate distance, in feet, between the two poles?
6.93 feet
8.66 feet
12.32 feet
15.59 feet

Question

Two poles, AB and ED, are fixed to the ground with the help of ropes AC and EC, as shown:

Two right triangles ABC and EDC have a common vertex C. Angle ABC and EDC are right angles. AB is labeled 11 feet, AC is labeled 13 feet, EC is labeled 10 feet, and ED is labeled 5 feet.

What is the approximate distance, in feet, between the two poles?
6.93 feet 
8.66 feet 
12.32 feet 
15.59 feet

anonymous · Answer

attachment

anonymous · Answer

@iGreen

igreen · Answer

Use the Pythagorean theorem to find the bottom measurement for both triangles, then add them up.

igreen · Answer

$a^2 + b^2 = c^2$

Where 'a' and 'b' are the the two legs and 'c' is the hypotenuse.

Triangle #1

$11^2 + b^2 = 13^2$

Solve for 'b', first simplify 11^2 and 13^2.

igreen · Answer

11 * 11 = ? @ShawnSpencer

igreen · Answer

@robtobey Please do not give answers, it's against OpenStudy's Code-of-Conduct. We are here to guide the asker to the answer, so we need his/her participation. http://openstudy.com/code-of-conduct