document.write( "Question 850113: A spotlight is mounted on the eaves of a house 20 feet above the ground. A flower bed runs between the house and the sidewalk, so the closest the ladder can be placed to the house is 15 feet. How long of a ladder is needed so that an electrician can reach the place where the light is mounted?\r
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Algebra.Com's Answer #511954 by KMST(5328)\"\" \"About 
You can put this solution on YOUR website!
The ladder, the ground, and the wall of the house form a right triangle.
\n" ); document.write( "One leg is the 20-foot wall height from the ground to the spotlight location.
\n" ); document.write( "The other leg is the distance from the foot of the ladder to the house.
\n" ); document.write( "If the lengths of those legs, in feet, are 20 and 15, the length, in feet, of the hypotenuse is
\n" ); document.write( "\"sqrt%2820%5E2%2B15%5E2%29=sqrt%28625%29=25\" .
\n" ); document.write( "That is based on the Pythagorean theorem, that says that
\n" ); document.write( "\"hypotenuse%5E2=leg%5B1%5D%5E2%2Bleg%5B2%5D%5E2\" .
\n" ); document.write( "So the ladder must be at least \"highlight%2825feet%29\" long.
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