45foot ladder is leaning against a building. The base of the ladder is 27 feet from the side of the building. How high does the ladder reach along the side of the building?

ladder reaches ___ feet high on the building.

1 answer

Time for Pythagoras!

a^2 + b^2 = c^2

27^2 + b^2 = 45^2

729 + b^2 = 2025

b^2 - 1296

b = 36