Question

A window-washer is climbing a 37-foot ladder leaning against a building. The ladder touches the building 35 feet above the ground. What is the distance from the bottom of the ladder to the base of the building?

Answer 1

Answer: the distance from the bottom of the ladder to the base of the building is 12 feet.

Step-by-step explanation:

The ladder makes an angle, θ with the ground thus forming a right angle triangle with the wall of the house.

The length of the ladder represents the hypotenuse of the right angle triangle.

The distance from the ground to the point where the ladder touches the wall of the building represents the opposite side

Therefore, to determine the distance from the bottom of the ladder to the base of the building, x, we would apply Pythagoras theorem which is expressed as

Hypotenuse² = opposite side² + adjacent side²

37² = 35² + x²

1369 = x² + 1225

x² = 1369 - 1225 = 144

x = √144 = 12 feet