Question

Two window washers, Grayson and Malik, lean a ladder against the side of a building so that Grayson can wash a window while Malik holds the ladder. The top of the ladder reaches the window, which is 8 meters off the ground. The base of the ladder is 3 meters away from the building. How long is the ladder?

Answer 1

Answer:

8.5m

Step-by-step explanation:

The ladder forms a right triangle with legs of 8 and 3, and the ladder is the hypotenuse. Using the Pythagorean Theorem, we get that the ladder is about 8.5 meters long. Hope this helps!

Answer 2

Answer:

≈8.544

Step-by-step explanation:

The Pythagorean theorem says that $a^{2} + b^{2} = c^{2}$, where c is the ladder. Replacing the variables for numbers gives you $3^2 + 8^2 = c^2.$ Simplifying the right side gives you 9+64, or 73. Because $c^2$=73, the answer is $\sqrt{73}$, or ≈8.544. Hope this helps!