A 15feet ladder leaning against a bulding touches the wall 12 feet above the ground. How far from the building is the bottom of the ladder?

Answer 1

This is a standard right triangle problem.

The formula for solving the parameter of a triangle is a^2 + b^2 = c^2 Also known as the Pythagorean theorem.

So, in this problem, the ladder is the hypotenuse, that is to say side c of the triangle.

The height of the house is 12 or b in this example.

Finally, the distance from the house, is the unknown distance a .

Applying this knowledge gives us a^2 + 12^2 = 15^2

Simplified to a^2 + 144 = 225

225 - 144 = 81

So now you have a^2 = 81.

Taking the square root of each side of the equation, we're left with:

a = 9

So, the ladder is nine feet away from the house at the bottom of the ladder.