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18 votes
18 votes
A 12.5-foot ladder is leaning against the side of a house. If the ladder is resting 12 feet off the ground, how far is the ladder from the house?

A. 2 feet

B. 3.5 feet

C. 6.25 feet

D. 7 feet

User Boris Ponomarenko
by
2.4k points

1 Answer

21 votes
21 votes

Answer:

B. 3.5 feet

Explanation:

The part leaning against the wall is the hypotenuse while the height of the ladder off the ground is the opposite and the distance of the ladder from the house is the adjacent side.

Given the following data;

Hypotenuse = 12.5 ft

Opposite = 12 ft

To find the adjacent side, we would use the Pythagorean theorem;

Hypotenuse² = opposite² + adjacent²

Substituting into the formula, we have;

12.5² = 12² + adjacent²

156.25 = 144 + adjacent²

Adjacent² = 156.25 - 144

Adjacent² = 12.25

Taking the square root of both sides, we have;

Adjacent = 3.5 feet.

Therefore, the distance of the ladder from the house is 3.5 feet.

User JoshMB
by
3.0k points
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