Question

Camila needs to fix the window on the front of her house. The bottom of the window is 16 ft. from the ground. She only has a 20 ft. ladder. How far from the base of the house should she set up the ladder so that the top of the ladder is exactly at the bottom of the window?
A. 6 ft.
B. 144 ft.
C. 26 ft.
D. 12 ft.

Answer 1

Use the Pythagorean theorem. Let x be the distance from the wall:

x^2 + 16^2 = 20^2
x^2 + 256 = 400
x^2 = 144
x = 12

Answer: D. 12 ft.