Final answer:
To determine the distance from the base of the wall to the foot of a 10-meter ladder reaching a window 8 meters above the ground, use the Pythagorean theorem. The calculation shows that the distance is 6 meters, making option A the correct answer.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question asks us to determine the distance from the base of the wall to the foot of the ladder when the ladder is 10 meters long and reaches a window 8 meters above the ground. To solve this, we can use the Pythagorean theorem, which states that in a right-angled triangle, the square of the length of the hypotenuse (the side opposite the right angle) is equal to the sum of the squares of the lengths of the other two sides. Here, the ladder serves as the hypotenuse, and the height at which the ladder reaches the window serves as one of the other sides of the triangle.
According to the Pythagorean theorem:
- Length of the ladder (hypotenuse, c) = 10 m
- Height above ground (opposite side, a) = 8 m
Therefore, the foot of the ladder is 6 meters from the base of the wall, which corresponds to option A. 6 m.