Final answer:
To find the angle the ladder makes with the ground, we can use trigonometry. The length of the ladder is the hypotenuse of the right triangle formed by the ladder, the wall, and the ground. Using the cosine function, the angle is approximately 48.2°.
Step-by-step explanation:
To find the angle the ladder makes with the ground, we can use trigonometry. We have a right triangle formed by the ladder, the wall, and the ground.
The length of the ladder is the hypotenuse of the triangle, which is 20 feet. The distance of the foot of the ladder from the wall is the adjacent side of the triangle, which is 14 feet. Therefore, we can use the cosine function to find the angle:
cos(angle) = adjacent/hypotenuse
Substituting the given values:
cos(angle) = 14/20
Solving for angle:
angle = arccos(14/20)
Using a calculator, the angle is approximately 48.2°. Therefore, the correct answer is (b) 48.7°.