Question

How high up the wall can a 12-foot ladder reach if its base is 4 feet from the wall? Round your answer to the nearest tenth of a foot if necessary.

Answer 1

11.3 feet

Explanation:

This is a right triangle, so we can use the Pythagorean Theorem.

`a^(2) +b^(2) = c^(2)` The hypotenuse (the longest side and the it is also the side across from the 90 ° angle) must be c.

`4^(2) +b^(2) = 12^(2)`

16 +
`b^(2)` = 144 Subtract 16 from both sides

`b^(2) = 128` Take the square root of each side

`\sqrt{b^(2) }` =
`√(128)`

b = 11.3 rounded to the nearest tenth