Question

a ladder that is 22 feet long is propped up against a 15 - foot - tall building. use the dropdown to answer the following questions.
what is the unknown information that could be found using the pythagorean theorem?

Explanation:

Step1: Recall the Pythagorean theorem

The Pythagorean theorem is \(a^{2}+b^{2}=c^{2}\), where \(c\) is the hypotenuse of a right - triangle and \(a\) and \(b\) are the other two sides. In the case of a ladder propped against a building, the ladder is the hypotenuse (\(c = 22\) feet), the height of the building is one leg (\(a=15\) feet), and the distance from the base of the ladder to the building is the other leg (\(b\)).

Step2: Identify the unknown

We know two values in the Pythagorean relationship. If we let the height of the building be \(a = 15\), the length of the ladder be \(c = 22\), and the distance from the base of the ladder to the building be \(b\). Using the formula \(b=\sqrt{c^{2}-a^{2}}\), we are solving for the distance from the base of the ladder to the building.

Answer:

The distance from the base of the ladder to the building.