Question

A 12-foot ladder rests against a brick wall at an angle of 60°. Which expression gives the value of x, the height on the brick wall where the ladder rests?

1) 12 sin 60°
2) 12 cos 60°
3) 12 tan 60°
4) 12 sin 60°

Answer 1

The expression that gives the value of x, the height on the brick wall where the ladder rests, is 12 sin 60°.

Step-by-step explanation:

The expression that gives the value of x, the height on the brick wall where the ladder rests, is 12 sin 60°. To understand why, we can use the trigonometric relationship between the angle of elevation, the length of the ladder, and the height on the wall. In this case, the angle of elevation is 60° and the length of the ladder is 12 feet. The sine function relates the opposite side (height on the wall) to the hypotenuse (length of the ladder), so we use sin 60° to find the value of x.