Question

A 28-foot ladder leans up against a building and reaches the base of a window that is 20 feet high. How far is the base of the ladder from the base of the building? Round your answer to the nearest whole foot.

Answer 1

length of the ladder = 28 ft = hypotenuse

height = 20 ft

base = x

$\begin{gathered} hypotenuse^2=height^2+base^2 \\ \text{ 28}^2=20^2+x^2 \\ 784=400+x^2 \\ 784-400=x^2 \\ 384=x^2 \\ x\text{ = 19.6 ft} \end{gathered}$

The base is 19.6 ft of the wall