Question

A 12 foot ladder is leaning up against the side of a building. The bottom of the ladder is 4 feet away from the bottom of the building Approximately how high up the side of the building does the ladder reach? 8 ft 10 ft 11 ft 12 ft​

Answer 1

You can use the Pythagoras theorem for this since a right triangle is formed.

$c^2 = a^2 + b^2$

C = 12

A = 4

B = x

Input values:

$12^2 = 4^2 + x^2$

$144 = 16 + x^2$

$128 = x^2$

$x = \sqrt{128}$

$x = 11.3137...$

So, about 11ft.