The bottom of a ladder must be placed 3 feet from a wall. The ladder is 12 feet long. How far above the ground does the ladder touch the wall? Pythagorean Theorem

Question

asked Jul 15, 2021 225k views

1 Answer

Will Glass · Answer 1 · 2021-07-20T04:50:23+0000

a ≅ 11.6 ft

Pythagorean theorem

c²-b²=a²

c²-a²=b²

a²+b²=c²

Now since we're trying to find a leg we'll use the first equation

c²-b²=a²

Plug in the hypotenuse for c and the leg for b

12²-3²=a²

144-9=a²

135=a²

Now square root both sides

√(135) =
$\sqrt{a^(2) }$

3√(15) = a

a ≅ 11.6 ft