Question

Firefighters just arrived at the Farquand building with a rescue truck. Mr. Farquand is stuck on a window ledge 44 feet directly above the top of the truck. The base of the ladder is a horizontal distance of 33 feet away from the building. Using the Pythagorean Theorem, determine how long the ladder must extend to reach Mr. Farquand.

Answer 1

Answer:

The length of the ladder must be 5ft

Step-by-step explanation:

Given

$Height = 4ft$ --- H

$Base = 3ft$ ---- B

Required

Determine the length of the ladder (L)

It'll be assumed that the ladder is on the truck

So, the length of the ladder forms the hypothenuse

Using Pythagoras:

$L^2 = H^2 + B^2$

Substitute values for H and B

$L^2 = 4^2 + 3^2$

$L^2 = 16 + 9$

$L^2 = 25$

Take square root of both sides

$L = \sqrt{25$

$L= 5$

Hence:

The length of the ladder must be 5ft