pole height: 10-ft guy wire 2 ft further than pole's height

[kria]

I have a word problem that I am having trouble with-

A pole is supported by 10 foot guy wire that is attached to the ground--distance from pole to ground where wire is connected is 2 feet greater that height of pole-find the height

the height is 6 feet- but I am not able to put it in the right formula so that it works out to 6-please help k

 

[Loren]

Re: pole height

Did you draw a sketch that represents the problem? Do you get a right triangle? Label the pole height "h", the hypotenuse "10" and the other leg (you can come up with that). Since you have a right triangle, maybe you should consult Mr. Pythagoras.