Question

dora leaned a 94 foot ladder against the side of a building. The base of the ladder is 9 feet from the base of the building. The top of the ladder is 13 feet from the top of the building. How tall, to the nearest tenth of a foot is the building?

Answer 1

126.6 ft

Explanation:

I've attached a picture. Look at the right triangle. A side is missing. Use the Pythagorean Theorem to find it.

(leg)^2 + (leg)^2 = (hypotenuse)^2

`x^2+9^2=94^2\\x^2+81=8836\\x^2=8755\\x=√(8755)\approx93.6`

The ladder touches the wall at a height of 93.6 ft. Now add the 13 "extra" feet from the top of the ladder to the top of the building.

The building is 126.6 ft tall.