Question

A ladder needs to reach a second-story window that is 15 feet above the ground and make an angle with the ground of 71°. How far out from the building does the base of the ladder need to be positioned? Round your answer to the nearest tenth.

The base of the ladder needs to be ______ feet away from the wall.

Answer 1

5.2 feet

Explanation:

It helps if you can make a drawing.

You are looking for the adjacent side of the 71° angle in a right triangle and 15 is the opposite side of the angle.

Let x = the distance from the building to the base of the ladder

Tan 71 = 15/x

xtan71 = 15

x = 15/tan 71 = 5.2 feet