A square canopy

Question

A square canopy is supported on 4 corners by poles. Each pole is supported by 3 cables, each cable is attached to the top of the 12 foot pole and 5 feet away from the base. Find the total length needed for all of the cables

Answer 1

You have a right triangle with a 12 ft leg and a 5 ft leg. Its hypotenuse squared is the sum of the squares of the legs:

 

144 + 25 = 169. Find the square root of 169 to fine the length of one cable. It is 13 feet. multiply by the number of cables. However this does not allow for the length of cable needed to tie it to the pole and to the ground.