Question

A ladder is placed 7 feet from the base of a building and reaches a point on the building that is 24 feet above the ground. Find the length of the ladder.

Answer 1

Use the Pythagorean theorem:

7^2 + 24^2 = length^2

Simplify:

49 + 576 = length ^2

Add:

625 = length^2

Take the square root of both sides

Length = 25

The ladder is 25 feet long