Question

If you place a 10-foot ladder against the top of a 6-foot building, how many feet will the bottom of the ladder be from the bottom of the building?

Answer 1

Answer: 8 feet

Step-by-step explanation:

Draw a right triangle and label the sides using the given information. (Drawing below) Use pythagorean theorem to find the missing length:

a^2 + b^2 = c^2

(building)^2 + (missing piece)^2 = (ladder)^2

6^2 + x^2 = 10^2

36 + x^2 = 100. subtract 36

x^2 = 64. square root of both sides

x = 8