A 17-foot ladder reaches a window 15 feet above the ground. How far from the wall is the base of the ladder?
A) $2$ ft.
B) $6$ ft.
C) $8$ ft.
D) $32$ ft.
E) none of the above

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

This is a classic example of a right triangle problem. The ladder (which is the hypotenuse of the right triangle) is 17 feet long, and one of the legs of the right triangle is 15 feet (the height of the window). Let x be the distance from the wall to the base of the ladder. Then, using the Pythagorean Theorem, we have:

$$x^2 + 15^2 = 17^2$$

$$x^2 + 225 = 289$$

$$x^2 = 64$$

$$x = 8$$

Therefore, the base of the ladder is 8 feet away from the wall. The answer is (C).

A 17-Foot Ladder Reaches a Window 15 Feet Above the Ground