Question

If you place a 34-foot ladder against the top of a 30-foot building, how many feet will

the bottom of the ladder be from the bottom of the building?

Answer 1

The bottom of the ladder will be approximately 18 feet from the bottom of the building.

Step-by-step explanation:

To find the distance between the bottom of the ladder and the bottom of the building, we can use the Pythagorean theorem. Let's call this distance x. According to the theorem, the square of the hypotenuse (the ladder) is equal to the sum of the squares of the other two sides (the height of the building and x). So we have 34^2 = 30^2 + x^2. Simplifying, we get x^2 = 34^2 - 30^2 and x ≈ √(34^2 - 30^2). Solving this equation, we find that x ≈ 18 feet. Therefore, the bottom of the ladder will be approximately 18 feet from the bottom of the building.