Final answer:
The total horizontal distance from the bottom of the waterslide to the base of the ladder is 240 feet, as it is equivalent to the length of the base of the right-angled triangle formed by the waterslide and the ladder.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question involves finding the total horizontal distance from the bottom of a waterslide to the base of a ladder on a coordinate plane. Given that the waterslide reaches a height of 180 feet and the horizontal distance from the starting point to the end point of the slide is 240 feet, we can conclude that we are working with a right-angled triangle. To find the distance from the bottom of the slide to the base of the ladder, we need to calculate the length of the base of the triangle.
The ladder and slide form a perpendicular, creating two segments on the horizontal distance. The full distance is the length of the base of the triangle plus the horizontal distance from the end of the slide to the base of the ladder. Since the top of the slide is the vertex opposite the base of the right-angled triangle, the ladder will be along the height of the triangle, forming the perpendicular side which is 180 feet tall. Therefore, the base of the triangle is the same as the given horizontal distance of the slide, which is 240 feet. Since there are no other horizontal distances mentioned, the total distance from the bottom of the slide to the base of the ladder is 240 feet.