Question

The bottom of a ladder must be placed 5 feet from a building. If the ladder touches the building 13.1 feet above the ground, find the length of the ladder to the nearest foot

Answer 1

Applying the Pythagorean theorem, the length of the ladder to the nearest foot is: 14 ft.

What is the Pythagorean Theorem?

The Pythagorean theorem states that if c is the hypotenuse of a right triangle, and a and b are the legs of the right triangle, then, c = √(a² + b²).

Thus, the ladder leaning on a building will form a right triangle, such that:

Hypotenuse = the length of the ladder = c

a = 5 ft

b = 13.1 ft

Therefore:

c = √(5² + 13.1²)

c = 14 ft

Therefore, applying the Pythagorean theorem, the length of the ladder to the nearest foot is: 14 ft.

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