Question

Pythagorean theorem

How far from the wall should Zachary position the bottom of the ladder so that the top reaches the window ledge?

(PHOTO)

Answer 1

The answer is 8 because you take 17x17 and 15x15. Since 17 times 17 is your c, you subtract your answer of 17 times 17 from 15x15 which could be labeled as a/b to get your answer of 8 because you have to square root the number after subtracting both numbers. Hope this helped.

Answer 2

As the question suggests, we need to use Pythagorean Theorem!

`a^(2)\ +\ b^(2)\ = c^(2)`

You are given the hypotenuse and one of the sides therefore you need to rearrange your formula like so:

`a^(2)=c^(2)-b^(2)`

Substitute your values and solve.

`a^(2)=17^(2)-15^(2)\\a^(2)=289-225 \\a^(2)=64\\\sqrt{a^(2)} =√(64) \\`

a = 8 meters