Question

QUESTION 9 A 32 ft ladder leans against a building so that the top of the ladder touches the building at a point 23 ft above the ground. To the nearest tenth of a foot, how far from the bottom of the building is the bottom of the ladder? 30.1 ft 22.2 ft 39.4 ft 27.5 ft

Answer 1

the ladder leaning on the building would form a right triangle with the vertical leg measuring 23 ft and the hypotenuse measuring 32 ft, which leaves the horizontal leg to be determined. Use the PythagoreanTheorem to find the missing leg length:
32² = 23²+b²
1024= 529 + b²
495 = b²
√495 = b
√495≈22.24 ft
so the answer to the nearest tenth of a foot would be 22.2 ft.