382,513 views
31 votes
31 votes
A house printer has a 15 foot ladder that must be placed 9 feet from the house to comply with regulations. What is the height of the house if the ladder reaches the top of the house?

Also what am I look for the hypotenuse or the leg?

User SummerNight
by
3.0k points

1 Answer

9 votes
9 votes

Answer:

is 14.14

Explanation:

These are the following dimensions:

1

.

base

=

5

f

t

2

.

hypotenuse

=

15

f

t

3

.

height

=

?

f

t

To solve for the height, use the Pythagorean Theorem, which is:

a

2

+

b

2

=

c

2

where:

a

=

height

b

=

base

c

=

hypotenuse

Substitute your known values into the equation to find the height:

a

2

+

b

2

=

c

2

a

2

+

(

5

)

2

=

(

15

)

2

a

2

+

25

=

225

a

2

=

200

a

=

200

a

=

10

2

simplify the radical

a

14.14

f

t

, the ladder goes approximately

14.14

f

t

up the building.

User Pixis
by
3.0k points
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