Answer :
Let's make a diagram to visualize the problem.
As you can observe in the diagram above, the problem is asking for the angle between the 14-foot long wire and the ground. In order to find the angle, we have to use the law of cosines.
[tex]c^2=a^2+b^2-2ab\cdot\cos x[/tex]Where c = 17, a = 14, and b = 22. Let's replace these values and solve for x.
[tex]\begin{gathered} 17^2=14^2+22^2-2\cdot14\cdot22\cdot\cos x \\ 289=196+484-616\cdot\cos x \\ 289=680-616\cdot\cos x \\ 289-680=-616\cdot\cos x \\ -391=-616\cdot\cos x \\ \cos x=\frac{-391}{-616} \\ x=\cos ^{-1}(\frac{391}{616}) \\ x\approx50.6 \end{gathered}[/tex]Therefore, the angle that the 14-foot long wire forms with the ground is 50.6°.
