Question

A 15-foot ladder is leaning against a building, with the base of the ladder 5 feet from

the building. How high up on the building will the top of the ladder reach?

Answer 1

Using the Pythagorean theorem it would be 5^2+b^2=15^2
25+b^2=225
b^2=200
Square root each sides so it would be
b= 10 root 2
b=14.14
So the building is 14.14 feet when the ladder touches it

Answer 2

10√2

Explanation:

We can form a triangle with the clues in the question, and use the formula A²+B²=C²

Now, we plug in our values.

5²+B²=15²

25+B²=225

B²=200

B=√200

√200 =√2x2x2x5x5 = 10√2