Question

CAN SOMEONE HELP ME WITH THIS A 20-foot ladder is leaning against a wall of a house. It is set 16 feet from the base of the wall. How far up the wall does the ladder reach? Round your answer to
the nearest tenth of a foot.
how many feet ——-

Answer 1

We're given the hypotenuse and one side and we're looking for the missing side so use pythagorean.

20² - 16² = 144²

Square root of 144 = 12 feet

Answer 2

$\huge \purple{\tt{Answer:}}$

$(AB)^2 = (AC)^2 - (BC)^2 \\\\\ \implies (AB)^2 = (20)^2 - (16)^2 \\\\\ \implies AB^2 = 400-256 \\\\\ \implies AB^2 = 144 \\\\\ AB = {\sqrt{144}} \\\\\ \implies AB=12 ~feet$

The picture will help you understand better .