Solve the problem.
-A 35-foot ladder is leaning against the side of a building. If the ladder makes an angle of 24° with the side of the building, how far is the bottom of the ladder from the base of the building?
Round your answer to the hundredths place when necessary.
A)14.33 ft
B)4.96 ft
C)15.63 ft
D)20.03 ft

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

To find the distance from the bottom of the ladder to the base of the building, we use the cosine function, since cosine relates the adjacent side (the distance we're looking for) to the hypotenuse (the length of the ladder) in a right-angled triangle. The formula is cos(θ) = adjacent/hypotenuse. Here, θ = 24° and the hypotenuse = 35 feet. Rearranging the formula gives adjacent = hypotenuse * cos(θ) = 35 * cos(24°) ≈ 14.33 feet.

Solve the Problem. -A 35-Foot Ladder Is Leaning Against the Side of a Side