Question

The top of a 2.7m ladder, leaning against a wall, reaches a height of 1.6m. What angle, to the nearest degree, does the ladder make with the ?

Answer 1

(see the figure I uploaded)


`\sin(\beta)=1.6/2.7\Rightarrow \beta=\arcsin(1.6/2.7)\approx36.34^\circ`

Answer 2

So the hypotenuse is 2.7, and the opposite is 1.6.

We can use sine to find the angle.

sin(x) = (1.6)/(2.7)

Simplify:

sin(x) = 0.592592593

Plug this in your calculator to find the inverse of sine:

x = 36.34120312

So the angle is 36 degrees.