Question

a ladder leans against a wall so that its slope is 1.60. the top of the ladder is 8 vertical feet above the ground. what is the approximate horizontal distance from the base of the ladder to the wall? (assume that the positive direction points from the base of the ladder toward the wall.)

Answer 1

Answer: We can use the trigonometric function tangent to solve this problem. Let x be the horizontal distance from the base of the ladder to the wall. Then we have:

tan(1.60) = x / 8

Multiplying both sides by 8, we get:

x = 8 tan(1.60)

Using a calculator, we find:

x ≈ 8 × 1.518 = 12.14

Therefore, the approximate horizontal distance from the base of the ladder to the wall is 12.14 feet.

Explanation: