Safety by-laws state that for a ladder to be stable, the angle the base of the ladder makes with the ground should be between 70° and 80'. A safety inspector at a construction site notices a painter on a 10-m ladder that is leaning against a wall. The base of the ladder is 1.5 m away from the wall. Does the inspector have cause to be concerned? Explain.

Question

Mathematics

Esther Brennan

19 February, 16:46

Safety by-laws state that for a ladder to be stable, the angle the base of the ladder makes with the ground should be between 70° and 80'. A safety inspector at a construction site notices a painter on a 10-m ladder that is leaning against a wall. The base of the ladder is 1.5 m away from the wall. Does the inspector have cause to be concerned? Explain.

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Answers (1)

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Collin Ochoa · Answer 1

Cos (angle) = adjacent/hypotenuse

Cos (angle) = 1.5/10

Angle = arccos (1.5/10)

Angle = 81.37 degrees

Although the angle is close, it is over the 80 degrees, so the inspector should be concerned.