Question

The bottom of a 20-foot ladder is placed 4 ½ feet from the base of a house. To the nearest foot, at what height does the ladder touch the house? Height in feet:

Answer 1

Answer: 19 ft

Explanation:

Hi, since the situation forms a right triangle (see attachment) we have to apply the Pythagorean Theorem:

c^2 = a^2 + b^2

Where c is the hypotenuse of the triangle (in this case the length of the ladder) and a and b are the other sides.

Replacing with the values given:

20^2 = (4 1/2)^2 + x^2

400=20.25 + x ^2

400-20.25 = x^2

379.75 = x^2

√379.75 = x

x = 19.48

x= 19 ft

Feel free to ask for more if needed or if you did not understand something.