Question

A ladder leaning against a house make an angle of 30° with the ground. The bottom of the ladder is 7 feet from the base of the house. How long is the ladder?

Answer 1

The length is approximately 8 feet.

Explanation:

Since the side across from the 30 degree angle is HALF the side across from the 90 degree one, then we can write this equation (supposing the height of the building is x):

x^2 + 7^2= (2x)^2

x^2 + 49 = 4x^2

x= 4

since the length is 2x, it equals 4*2 = 8