Question

A ladder must be placed 5' from the base of the wall. How long must the latter be to reach a window that is 16' off the ground?

Answer 1

A right angle trangle is used to illustrate the given scenario as shown below

Looking at the diagram,

AC = x represents the length of the ladder

CB = 5 represents the distance of the ladder from the wall

AB = 16 represents the height of the ladder from the ground to the window. We would solve for x by applying the pythagorean theorem which states that

hypotenuse^2 = opposite side^2 + adjacent sde^2

hypotenuse = x

opposite side = 16

adjacent side = 5

Thus,

`\begin{gathered} x^2=16^2+5^2\text{ = 256 + 25 = 28}1 \\ x\text{ = }\sqrt[]{281} \\ x\text{ = 16}.76 \end{gathered}`

The length of the ladder must be 16.76 feet