Question

A painter leans a 34-ft ladder against a building. The base of the ladder is 16 ft from the building. To the nearest foot, how high on the building does the ladder reach?

A) 30 feet
B) 38 feet
C) 26 feet
D) 18 feet

Answer 1

Answer = A). 34 squared minus 16 squared = 900. Square-root that to get 30.

Answer 2

The height reached by ladder on the building is 30 ft.

Explanation:

Let x be the height reached by ladder on the building.

Since, the building must be perpendicular with respect to surface,

Thus,

(The length of the ladder)² = (The base of the ladder from the building)² + ( The height reached by ladder on the building)²

Given,

The length of the ladder = 34 ft,

The base of the ladder from the building = 16 ft.

So,

`34^2 = 16^2 + x^2`

`1156 = 256 + x^2`

`1156 - 256 = x^2`

`900 = x^2`

`\implies x = 30`

Hence, the height reached by ladder on the building is 30 ft.