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The neighbor kids were playing with a Frisbee and it has landed on the roof of your house. The place where you have decided to put the ladder is right over the air conditioner unit forcing the base of the ladder to be 8 feet from the side of the house. If the house is 15 feet tall, how long must the ladder be in order to make sure it reaches the roof? That length will only ensure the ladder reaches the roof exactly. Add one extra foot then tell me the length of the ladder you would by at the store. You must set up an equation and solve.

 Nov 29, 2017

Best Answer 

 #1
avatar+9460 
+3

The ladder will lean against the house.

The base of the ladder will be  8  feet from the house.

The house is  15  feet tall.

What is the length of the ladder? Let's call it  x .

 

 

From the Pythagorean theorem, we know

 

82 + 152  =  x2

 

64 + 225  =  x2

 

289  =  x2           Take the positive square root of both sides of this equation.

 

17  =  x

 

So the exact length is 17 feet.

We want a ladder that is 1 foot longer...  17 ft  +  1 ft  =  18 ft     smiley

 Nov 29, 2017
edited by hectictar  Nov 29, 2017
edited by hectictar  Nov 29, 2017
 #1
avatar+9460 
+3
Best Answer

The ladder will lean against the house.

The base of the ladder will be  8  feet from the house.

The house is  15  feet tall.

What is the length of the ladder? Let's call it  x .

 

 

From the Pythagorean theorem, we know

 

82 + 152  =  x2

 

64 + 225  =  x2

 

289  =  x2           Take the positive square root of both sides of this equation.

 

17  =  x

 

So the exact length is 17 feet.

We want a ladder that is 1 foot longer...  17 ft  +  1 ft  =  18 ft     smiley

hectictar Nov 29, 2017
edited by hectictar  Nov 29, 2017
edited by hectictar  Nov 29, 2017
 #2
avatar+28 
+2

Thank you so much!!!!

Bunnie  Nov 29, 2017

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