Question

A ladder 10m long reaches the window of a house 8m above the ground. Find the distance of the foot of the ladder from the base of the wall.

Answer 1

Let the ladder be AB and BC be the height of the window from the ground.

We have: 

AB 10 m and BC = 8 m 

Applying theorem in right-angled triangle ACB, we have: 

AB² = AC² + BC² 

⇒ AC² = AB² − BC² = 10² − 8² = 100 − 64 = 36 

⇒ AC = 6 m 

Hence, the ladder is 6 m away from the base of the wall.