Question

Conan installs windows for a living and has propped his ladder against a customer's

house.
a. Initially, the bottom of his ladder is 8 feet from the base of the house and reaches 15
feet up the wall of the house. How long is the ladder?

Answer 1

Explanation:

By the Pythagorean Theorem

h^2=x^2+y^2

Which means that the hypotenuse (longest side of a right triangle) squared is equal to the sum of its squared sides. In this case we are given the side lengths of 8 and 15 feet.

h^2=8^2+15^2

h^2=64+225

h^2=289

h=17 ft

The ladder is 17 feet long.