Question

A ladder is leaning against a building and makes 28° angle with the ground. The top of the ladder reaches 35 feet up on the building.

What is the length of the ladder?

Answer 1

check the picture below.

make sure your calculator is in Degree mode.

Answer 2

The length of the ladder is approximately 74.55 ft.

Explanation:

Let x be the length of the ladder,

Given,

The ladder makes 28° angle with the ground and the top of the ladder reaches 35 feet up on the building,

Since, a building is generally assumed perpendicular to the ground,

So, we obtained a right triangle,

By the trigonometric ratio,

`sin 28^(\circ)=(35)/(x)`

`\implies x = (35)/(sin 28^(\circ))=74.5519063866\approx 74.55`

Hence, the length of the ladder is approximately 74.55 ft.