Question

1. Joshua has a ladder that is 12 ft long. He will lean the ladder against a vertical wall. For safety reasons, he wants the angle the ladder makes with the ground to be no greater than 75°. Is it possible for Joshua to lean the ladder against the wall so that the top of the ladder is at least 11.8 ft above the ground? Show your work and draw a diagram to support your answer.

Answer 1

Let angle ladder makes with the ground be x degrees.

sin x = 11.8/12
x = sin^-1(11.8/12)
x = 79.5 degrees (3 s.f.)

yes it is possible