A safe ladder position for reaching 8 feet up a wall is 2 feet from the base of the ladder to the wall. How long a ladder is needed? Round your answer to the nearest tenth.
A) 10.2 ft
B) 8.2 ft
C) 5.2 ft
D) 5.7 ft
E) 7.2 ft

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The ladder, wall, and ground form a right triangle, with the ladder being the hypotenuse. Using the Pythagorean Theorem, we have:

a^2 + b^2 = c^2

where a = 2 ft, b = 8 ft, and c is the length of the ladder.

Substituting the given values, we get:

2^2 + 8^2 = c^2

4 + 64 = c^2

68 = c^2

c ≈ 8.2 ft

Therefore, the ladder needed is approximately 8.2 feet long, which corresponds to choice B.

A Safe Ladder Position for Reaching 8 Feet Up a Wall