Answer:
a) Set up triangles where the hypotenuse is 16ft (the ladder) and one of the two edges are 1, 2, 3, 4, 5ft (the base of the ladder). Use a^2 + b^2 = c^2 where a is the base length, c is the hypotenuse and b is the value you are trying to find.
Ex w/ 1ft base:
1^2 + b^2 = 16^2
1 + b^2 = 256
b^2 = 255
b = 15.97ft.
b) Simply take your answers from part a) and add 5.5ft (the height of the girl) to them.
Ex w/ 1ft base:
15.97ft + 5.5ft = 21.47ft
c) Using logic here think about it. Let's take the 1ft base as the example. Marissa standing on top of the ladder is 21.47ft. That's clearly not high enough to reach the cat . . . but what happens if Marissa reaches upwards. As long as her arms can reach roughly 1.53ft above her head she should be able to reach it.
Explanation:
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