Question

A 10-foot ladder leans against a wall. It hits the wall 9 feet up. How far is the base of the ladder from the wall? Apply the Pythagorean Theorem to this problem

Answer 1

A 10-foot ladder leans against a wall. It hits the wall 9 feet up. How far is the base of the ladder from the wall? Apply the Pythagorean Theorem to this problem

triangle

side S1 = 9 feet

hypotenuse H = 10 feet

side S2 - X = ?

the Pythagorean Theorem

H x H = S1 x S1 + S2 x S2 = S1 x S1 + X x X

X x X = H x H - S1 x S1 = 10 x 10 - 9 x 9 = 100 - 91 = 9

X x X = 9

X = 3

How far is the base of the ladder from the wall? 3 feet

check:

H x H = S1 x S1 + X x X

10 x 10 = 9 x 9 + 3 x 3

100 = 91 +9 = 100