1. **State the problem:** We have a right triangle formed by a pole leaning against a wall. The pole is the hypotenuse with length 15 m, and the distance from the wall to the foot of the pole is 10 m. We need to find the angle $x$ between the pole and the ground.
2. **Formula used:** In a right triangle, the cosine of the angle adjacent to the base is given by
$$\cos x = \frac{\text{adjacent side}}{\text{hypotenuse}}$$
Here, the adjacent side is the distance from the wall to the foot of the pole (10 m), and the hypotenuse is the pole length (15 m).
3. **Apply the formula:**
$$\cos x = \frac{10}{15}$$
4. **Simplify the fraction:**
$$\cos x = \frac{\cancel{10}}{\cancel{15}} = \frac{2}{3}$$
5. **Find the angle $x$ by taking the inverse cosine:**
$$x = \cos^{-1}\left(\frac{2}{3}\right)$$
6. **Calculate the value:** Using a calculator,
$$x \approx 48.2^\circ$$
7. **Final answer:** The angle the pole makes with the ground is approximately **48 degrees**.
Pole Angle 155B6F
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