Question

If you place a 17 foot ladder against the top of a 8 foot building how many feet will the bottom of the ladder be from the bottom of the building

Answer 1

15 ft

Explanation:

1. Draw a triangle with a right angle.

2. Label all sides: A being the straight line which is standing vertically, B which is the base or the line which lays horizontally, and C will be the longest line on the triangle.

3. Make the C to be 17 ft.

4. Mark A as 8 ft.

5. Now use the Pythagorean Theorem:
`a^(2)+b^(2)=c^(2)`

`8^(2) +b^(2) =17^(2)`

6. Solve the equation:

`8^(2)+b^(2)=17^(2)\\64+b^(2)=289\\b^(2)=225\\\sqrt{b^(2)}=√(225)\\b=15`

Answer 2

9 because if you subtract 17 from 8 you will get 9 I hope this works :)