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The tops of two poles of height 38 m and 56 m are connected by a cable. If the cable makes an angle of 30° with the horizontal, then the distance between the bases of the poles is:

Solution

✅ Correct Option: 2

Two poles of heights 38 m and 56 m are connected by a cable. The cable makes an angle of 30° with the horizontal.

The height difference between the poles is:

56−38=1856 - 38 = 18 m


The cable connects the top of the shorter pole to the top of the taller pole. This creates a right triangle where:

  • Vertical side (opposite) = 18 m
  • Horizontal side (adjacent) = dd (distance between bases)
  • Angle with horizontal = 30°

Using the tangent ratio:

tan⁡(30°)=oppositeadjacent=18d\tan(30°) = \dfrac{\text{opposite}}{\text{adjacent}} = \dfrac{18}{d}


Since:

tan⁡(30°)=13\tan(30°) = \dfrac{1}{\sqrt{3}}:

13=18d\dfrac{1}{\sqrt{3}} = \dfrac{18}{d}

d=183d = 18\sqrt{3} m

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