In the model below, a support wire for a telephone pole is attached to the pole and
anchored to a stake in the ground 15 feet from the base of the telephone pole. Jamal
places a 6-foot wooden pole under the support wire parallel to the telephone pole, such
that one end of the pole is on the ground and the top of the pole is touching the support
wire. He measures the distance between the bottom of the pole and the stake in the
ground.
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Jamal says he can approximate how high the support wire attaches to the telephone pole
by using similar triangles. Explain why the triangles are similar.
