Question

At a water park there is a slide that you really want to ride. In order to get to the top of the 29 foot slide you must first climb a ladder. When you finish the ride you end up 21 feet from the base of the ladder. How tall is the ladder you must climb in order to get to the top

Answer 1

Answer: 20 feet

Step-by-step explanation:

This represents a right angled triangle with the length of the slide being the hypotenuse, the height of the ladder being the height of the triangle and the distance from the base of the ladder being the length.

Solve with Pythagoras rule:

c² = a² + b²

c = hypotenuse

a= length

b = height

29² = 21² + b²

841 = 441 + b²

b² = 841 - 441

b² = 400

b = √400

b = 20 feet