A ladder is leaning against the side of a

house. If the ladder is 12 feet tall and it is

reaching 8 feet vertically on the house,

how far away from the house is the base

of the ladder (in feet) ?

Answer: 8.94 ft

Step-by-step explanation:

The ladder leaning against the perpendicular wall forms a right angled triangle. As per Pythagorus theorem,

a^2 + b^2 = c^2

8^2 + b^2 = 12^2

64 + b^2 = 144

b^2 = 144 - 64 = √80 = 8.94 feet