Question

A 12-foot ladder is leaning against a wall. The bottom of the ladder is 5 feet away from the bottom of the wall. Approximately how high up the wall does the top of the ladder reach? A. 2.4 feet B. 7.0 feet C. 13.0 feet D. 10.9 feet

Answer 1

The ladder is the hypotenuse.
One of the legs is 5 feet.
We need to find the height.

a^2 + 5^2 = 12^2
a^2 + 25 = 144
a^2 = 144 - 25
a^2 = 119
a = √119

a ≈ 10.9 feet

The ladder reaches up 10.9 feet.

Answer 2

D) 10.9

pythagorean theorem 
144=25+x^2
10.9=x