Question

3. Suppose a ladder is 12 ft. long. The base of the ladder is 5 ft. from a wall, and the top of the ladder is leaning against the wall. How far above the ground is the tip of the ladder?

Answer 1

Use the Pythagorean Theorem -- with c = 12 and b = 5. Solve for a.

a^2 + b^2 = c^2

Answer 2

use a^2 +b^2=c^2
144+25=c^2
169= c^2
13=c so 13ft.