Question

How long a ladder must have to reach the top of a 12 foot wall if the bottom of the ladder is placed 5 feet from the base of the wall? Round to the nearest tenth of a foot

Answer 1

Answer: 13 feet

Work Shown:

`a^2 + b^2 = c^2 \ \ \text{ ... pythagorean theorem}\\\\5^2 + 12^2 = c^2\\\\25 + 144 = c^2\\\\169 = c^2\\\\c^2 = 169\\\\c = √(169)\\\\\boldsymbol{c = 13}`