Question

a pigeon was sitting 5 meters from the base of a telephone pole and flew 10 meters to reach the top of the pole. how tall is the telephone pole? if necessary, round to the nearest tenth. _______ meters

Explanation:

Step1: Identify right triangle sides

Let pole height = $h$, base $a=5$ m, hypotenuse $c=10$ m.

Step2: Apply Pythagorean theorem

$$h^2 + a^2 = c^2$$
$$h^2 = c^2 - a^2$$

Step3: Substitute values and calculate

$$h^2 = 10^2 - 5^2 = 100 - 25 = 75$$
$$h = \sqrt{75} = 5\sqrt{3} \approx 8.7$$

Answer:

8.7 meters