answer: 29.61
Referring to my photo, x is the length of the ladder.
Set up a trigonometric ratio to determine x
sin(71) = 28/x
Isolate x:
Multiply both side of the equation by x
sin(71)x = 28
Divide both sides by sin(71)
x = 28/sin(71)
Input into a calculator,
Which will get you the answer of
29.61