Question

How high up the wall can a 12-foot ladder reach if its base is 4 feet from the wall? Round your answer to the nearest tenth of a foot if necessary.

Answer 1

Answer:

11.3 feet

Step-by-step explanation:

This is a right triangle, so we can use the Pythagorean Theorem.

$a^{2} +b^{2} = c^{2}$  The hypotenuse (the longest side and the it is also the side across from the 90 ° angle) must be c.

$4^{2} +b^{2} = 12^{2}$

16 + $b^{2}$ = 144  Subtract 16 from both sides

$b^{2} = 128$  Take the square root of each side

$\sqrt{b^{2} }$ = $\sqrt{128}$

b = 11.3 rounded to the nearest tenth