Final: The Ladder

A ladder leaning against a wall makes a right triangle with the wall and the ground. The ladder is the hypotenuse. The height it reaches up the wall is one leg, and the distance from its foot to the wall is the other leg. To find the height, subtract the square of the distance from the square of the ladder, then take the root. For example, a ladder of length 10 with its foot 6 from the wall reaches a height of √(10^2 - 6^2) = 8. The height, 8, is shorter than the ladder, 10, because a leg is always shorter than the hypotenuse. Use this to check your answer.