A 32-foot ladder leans against a building on level ground...

Question

A 32-foot ladder leans against a building on level ground. It just reaches a window 25 feet above the ground. To the nearest degree, what angle does the ladder make with the ground?

 

Please help!

Answer 1

Sketch the diagram: the ladder, the building and the ground make a right triangle.

 

opposite side= 25

hypotenuse = 32

 

In order to calculate the angle, x^o, the trig ratio to use is arc sine;

 

x^o = sin^-1 (25/32)

x^o = 51^o