document.write( "Question 272948: A 13-foot ladder is leaning against a house. The distance from the bottom of the ladder to the house is 7 feet less than the distance from the top of the ladder to the ground. How far is the bottom of the ladder from the house? \n" ); document.write( "
Algebra.Com's Answer #199497 by dabanfield(803)\"\" \"About 
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A 13-foot ladder is leaning against a house. The distance from the bottom of the ladder to the house is 7 feet less than the distance from the top of the ladder to the ground. How far is the bottom of the ladder from the house?
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\n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "If we let x be the distance from the top of the ladder to the foot of the wall the we have a right triangle with hypotenuse 13 and sides x aqnd x-7. By the Pythagorean Theorem we have then:\r
\n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "x^2 + (x-7)^2 = 13^2 \r
\n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "x^2 + x^2 - 14x + 49 = 169\r
\n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "2x^2 - 14x - 120 = 0\r
\n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "Divide both sides by 2:\r
\n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "x^2 - 7x - 60 = 0\r
\n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "(x-12)*(x+5) = 0\r
\n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "x-12 = 0
\n" ); document.write( "x = 12\r
\n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "or \r
\n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "x+5 = 0
\n" ); document.write( "x = -5\r
\n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "Since x must be positive we x=12. So x-7 = 5
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