Question

How far from the base of the house do you need to place a 15-foot ladder so that it exactly reaches the top of a 12- foot tall wall?

Answer 1

Let the base of the 15ft long ladder be placed x ft away from the wall so that it exactly reaches the top of a 12- foot tall wall.

By Pythagorean theorem

`12^2+x^2=15^2`

`=>x^2=15^2-12^2=81`

`=>x=sqrt81=9` ft