Question

A 25 foot ladder leans against the side of a house. The base of the ladder is 12 ft. from the house on level ground. Find, to the nearest foot, the distance from the top of the ladder to the ground.

Answer 1

ok

To solve this problem, I'll use the Pythagorean theorem

$\text{ c}^2=a^2+b^2$

c = 25

a = 12

b = x

$\begin{gathered} \text{ b = }\sqrt[]{c^2-a^2} \\ \text{ b = }\sqrt[]{25^2-12^2} \\ \text{ b = }\sqrt[]{625\text{ - 144}} \\ \text{ b = }\sqrt[]{481} \end{gathered}$

Result

b = 21.93 rounding to the nearest foot

b = 22 ft this is the distance.