SOLUTION: A 20 foot ladder is leaned up against a wall with its foot 6 feet away from the wall. A man stands on a rung 12 feet from the bottom of the ladder. How far is the man from the wall

Question 672463: A 20 foot ladder is leaned up against a wall with its foot 6 feet away from the wall. A man stands on a rung 12 feet from the bottom of the ladder. How far is the man from the wall and the ground?
how do I this?
Answer by DrBeeee(684) (Show Source): You can put this solution on YOUR website!
Use similar triangles to get the distance, x, from the bottom of the ladder to the point below the man
(1) x/12 = 6/20 or
(2) x = 3.6
Then the distance from his feet to the wall is 2.4'.
Using Pythagoen theorem we can get the height of his feet, h, as
(3) h^2 = 12^2 - 3.6^2 or
(4) h = 1.2*sqrt(91) or
(5) h ~ 11.45'
I don't like the funny numbers, but unless I read the problem wrong, the answers must be correct.
Answer: The man's feet are 2.4 ft from the wall and about 11.45 ft off the ground.
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