Question

A 20 foot extension ladder is placed in a wall making an angle of elevation for 85 degrees with the ground. If a person at the top of the ladder leaned back, rotating the ladder away from the wall, how far to the nearest foot would the person fall before hitting the ground?

Answer 1

Answer:

21.74 ft

Step-by-step explanation:

We use Cosine because we are dealing with the Adj and Hyp

Cos 85 = x/20

x = 20 Cos 85

x = 1.74 feet away from the base of the wall.

Since the ladder is 20 foot long, the total distance will be 1.74 + 20 = 21.74 ft