Question

To wash a window that is 12 feet off the ground, Wayne leans a 13-foot ladder against the

side of the building. To reach the window, how far away from the building should Wayne
place the base of the ladder?
feet. Real answer no links!!


Answer 1

5 meters

Explanation:

Based on the situation, it forms into a right triangle. So we will apply the Pythagorean Theorem here. The ladder acts as the hypotenuse while the height from the ground to the window serves as our side "a". We are tasked to solve for "b". Side "b" is the distance from foot of side a to the tip of side c which is the hypotenuse (ladder). We will derive the formula below to solve for b.

c = √( a² + b² )

c² = a² + b²

b² = c² - a²

b = √ ( c² - a² )

b = √ ( 13² - 12² )

b = 5 meters

Correct me if I'm wrong. I hope it helps.