Question

The base of a 40-foot ladder is 8 feet from the wall. How high is the ladder on the wall

(round to the nearest foot)?

Answer 1

Explanation:

Picture a right triangle with horizontal side 8 feet, vertical side h (to be determined) and hypotenuse 40 ft. According to the Pythagorean Theorem,

(8 ft)^2 + h^2 = (40 ft)^2, or 64 ft^2 + h^2 = 1600 ft^2.

Solving for h^2, the square of the height: 1600 = 64 + h^2, or h = 1536.

Then h^2 = (1536 ft^2) and h = 39 ft (to the nearest foot)