Pythagorean Theorem

Question

The ladder is placed 10 ft. from the house at the bottom and touches the wall 19 ft. up at the top. What is the length of the ladder? Round the answer to the nearest tenth.

Answer 1

h^2 = b^2 +a^2 where h=hypotenuse, b=base, a=altitude

h^2 =10^2 + 19^2

h^2 = 100 + 361 = 461

h= sqr461 = about 21.5 feet = ladder length

or use trig and a calculator with trig functions

angle A = tan^-1(19/10) = tan^-1(1.9)= about 62.24

h = 19/sinA = 19/sin62.24 = 21.5 feet ladder length