college algebra

Question

A ladder leans against the side of a house. The top of the ladder is 10 ft

 from the ground. The bottom of the ladder is 8 ft

 from the side of the house. Find the length of the ladder. If necessary, round your answer to the nearest tenth.

Answer 1

the length of the ladder is the hypotenuse of a right triangle with the other 2 sides of 10 and 8.

the hypotenuse squared = sum of the squares of the other two sides

h^2 =10^2 + 8^2 = 100 + 64 = 164

h= sqr164 = 12.8 ft for the ladder length