A 20 - $\mathrm{ft}$-long wire is to be tied from a stake in the ground to the top of a 16 - $\mathrm{ft}$ pole. How far from the pole should the stake be placed?
The stake should be ft from the pole.

Step 1 ：This is a right triangle problem. The wire forms the hypotenuse of the triangle, the pole forms one side, and the distance from the pole to the stake forms the other side. We can use the Pythagorean theorem to solve this problem. The Pythagorean theorem states that in a right triangle, the square of the length of the hypotenuse is equal to the sum of the squares of the lengths of the other two sides. In this case, we know the lengths of the hypotenuse and one side, and we need to find the length of the other side.

Step 2 ：Let's denote the length of the hypotenuse as \(c\), the length of the pole as \(a\), and the distance from the pole to the stake as \(b\).

Step 3 ：We know that \(c = 20\) ft and \(a = 16\) ft.

Step 4 ：According to the Pythagorean theorem, we have \(c^2 = a^2 + b^2\). Substituting the known values, we get \(20^2 = 16^2 + b^2\).

Step 5 ：Solving this equation for \(b\), we find that \(b = \sqrt{20^2 - 16^2} = 12.0\) ft.

Step 6 ：Final Answer: The stake should be \(\boxed{12}\) ft from the pole.