Question

Ella's cat has climbed up onto the roof of her house and cannot get down! The roof of the house is 24 feet above the ground. The fire department has set up a 28-foot ladder to climb to rescue the cat. The base of the ladder is resting on the ground, and the top of the ladder extends 2 feet beyond the edge of the roof. How far away from the base of the house is the base of the ladder? You may want to draw a diagram to help you solve the problem.

Answer 1

10feet

Explanation:

Calculate the length from the base of the stair to the walls of the house.

We have the ladder extend 2 feet beyond the edge of the roof so 28-2=26feet

Let x is the length from the base of the stair to the wall of the house

(26)²=(24)²+x²

x²=(26)²-(24)²=676-576=100

x=√100=10feet

So the length from the base of the stair to the wall of the house is 10 feet.