Question

You plan to reach the top of a 30 foot tall building using a ladder if the ladder forms a 70 degree angle with the ground find how long must the ladder be to reach the top of the building

Answer 1

Explanation:

The set up is a right angles triangle where;

Height of the building = 30feet (opposite)

Angle of elevation = 70 degrees

Length of the ladder (hypotenuse) = x

Using SOH trig identity;

sin theta = opp/hyp

sin 70 = 30/x

x = 30/sin 70

x = 30/0.9397

x = 31.93feet

Hence the ladder must be 31.93 feet long to reach the top of the building