Question

An extension ladder leans against a building, making a 75° angle of elevation with the ground. The base of the ladder is 8 ft from the base of the building.

To the nearest tenth of a foot, how long is the ladder? (100 pt)

Answer 1

Answer: 30.9 ft

Explanation:

just took the test

Answer 2

30.9 ft

Explanation:

We want to find the hypotenuse ( the length of the ladder). The x distance is 8 and the angle between them is 75 degrees ( the angle of elevation)

Since this is a right angle, we can use trig functions

cos Theta = adj / hypotenuse

cos 75 = 8/ h

h cos 75 = 8

h = 8/ cos 75

h =30.90962644

Rounding to the nearest tenth

h = 30.9