SOLUTION: Hello, I am not quite sure how to approach this problem: when the lower end of a ladder that had been resting flat against a wall was pulled out 4 feet, the top of the ladder de

Question 31464: Hello, I am not quite sure how to approach this problem:
when the lower end of a ladder that had been resting flat against a wall was pulled out 4 feet, the top of the ladder descended one-fifth the length of the ladder. find the length of the ladder.
Thanks so much, really appreciate it.
Answer by blubunny01(20) (Show Source): You can put this solution on YOUR website!
If you picture a ladder leaning against the wall, you can see that it forms a right triangle such that the ladder is the hypotenuse.
Let x = the length of the ladder (in ft).
We know that one side of the triangle is 4ft, and the other side of the triangle is 1/5 the length of the ladder, which is (1/5)x.
So, if we plug this knowledge into the pythagorean theorem, we have:
a = 4ft
b = x/5
c = x

So, the length of the ladder is ft, or approx 5.816 ft.
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