document.write( "<A HREF=/cgi-bin/jump-to-question.mpl?question=88645>Question 88645</A>: <I><SPAN STYLE=\"word-break: break-all;\"> A 25-foot ladder leaning against a building touches the wall 16 feet above the ground. How far from the building is the bottom of the ladder? </SPAN>\n" );
document.write( "</I><HR><TABLE width=100%><TR><TD><B><A HREF=http://www.algebra.com/>Algebra.Com's</A> Answer #64438 by </B><A HREF=/tutors/aboutme.mpl?userid=jim_thompson5910><B>jim_thompson5910(35256)</B></A><img src=\"/images/stars/stars-13.gif\" alt=\"\" >&nbsp;<A HREF=/tutors/aboutme.mpl?userid=jim_thompson5910><IMG SRC=http://www.algebra.com/images/aboutme-small.gif BORDER=0 alt=\"About Me\" VALIGN=MIDDLE></A>&nbsp;<IMG SRC=http://www.algebra.com/images/nopicture.jpg><BR>You can <A HREF=\"/cgi-bin/embed-solution.mpl?show=1&solution=64438\">put this solution on YOUR website!</A><BR><SPAN STYLE=\"word-break: break-all;\"> We basically have this triangle set up:\r<BR>\n" );
document.write( "<BR>\n" );
document.write( "\n" );
document.write( "<IMG STYLE=\"max-width:80%;\" SRC=/cgi-bin/plot-formula.mpl?expression=drawing%28500%2C500%2C-0.5%2C2%2C-0.5%2C3.2%2C%0D%0A%0D%0Aline%280%2C0%2C0%2C3%29%2C%0D%0Aline%280%2C3%2C2%2C0%29%2C%0D%0Aline%282%2C0%2C0%2C0%29%2C%0D%0Alocate%28-0.2%2C1.5%2C16%29%2C%0D%0Alocate%281%2C-0.2%2Cx%29%2C%0D%0Alocate%281%2C2%2C25%29%0D%0A%29 ALIGN=MIDDLE   DISABLED_style= \"max-width:90%; height:auto;\" >\r<BR>\n" );
document.write( "<BR>\n" );
document.write( "\n" );
document.write( "Since we can see that the triangle has legs of 16 and x with a hypotenuse of 25, we can use Pythagoreans theorem to find the unknown side.\r<BR>\n" );
document.write( "<BR>\n" );
document.write( "<BR>\n" );
document.write( "\n" );
document.write( "Pythagoreans theorem:\r<BR>\n" );
document.write( "<BR>\n" );
document.write( "\n" );
document.write( "<IMG STYLE=\"max-width:80%;\" SRC=/cgi-bin/plot-formula.mpl?expression=a%5E2%2Bb%5E2=c%5E2 ALIGN=MIDDLE  ALT=\"a%5E2%2Bb%5E2=c%5E2\"   DISABLED_style= \"max-width:90%; height:auto;\" > where a and b are the legs of the triangle and c is the hypotenuse\r<BR>\n" );
document.write( "<BR>\n" );
document.write( "<BR>\n" );
document.write( "<BR>\n" );
document.write( "\n" );
document.write( "<IMG STYLE=\"max-width:80%;\" SRC=/cgi-bin/plot-formula.mpl?expression=16%5E2%2Bx%5E2=25%5E2 ALIGN=MIDDLE  ALT=\"16%5E2%2Bx%5E2=25%5E2\"   DISABLED_style= \"max-width:90%; height:auto;\" >  Plug in a=16, b=x, and c=25. Now lets solve for x\r<BR>\n" );
document.write( "<BR>\n" );
document.write( "<BR>\n" );
document.write( "\n" );
document.write( "<IMG STYLE=\"max-width:80%;\" SRC=/cgi-bin/plot-formula.mpl?expression=2+5+6+%2B++x++%5E+2+=+6+2+5 ALIGN=MIDDLE  ALT=\"2+5+6+%2B++x++%5E+2+=+6+2+5\"   DISABLED_style= \"max-width:90%; height:auto;\" > Square each individual term\r<BR>\n" );
document.write( "<BR>\n" );
document.write( "<BR>\n" );
document.write( "<BR>\n" );
document.write( "\n" );
document.write( "<IMG STYLE=\"max-width:80%;\" SRC=/cgi-bin/plot-formula.mpl?expression=+x++%5E+2+=+6+2+5+-+2+5+6 ALIGN=MIDDLE  ALT=\"+x++%5E+2+=+6+2+5+-+2+5+6\"   DISABLED_style= \"max-width:90%; height:auto;\" > Subtract 256 from both sides\r<BR>\n" );
document.write( "<BR>\n" );
document.write( "<BR>\n" );
document.write( "\n" );
document.write( "<IMG STYLE=\"max-width:80%;\" SRC=/cgi-bin/plot-formula.mpl?expression=+x++%5E+2+=+3+6+9 ALIGN=MIDDLE  ALT=\"+x++%5E+2+=+3+6+9\"   DISABLED_style= \"max-width:90%; height:auto;\" > Combine like terms\r<BR>\n" );
document.write( "<BR>\n" );
document.write( "<BR>\n" );
document.write( "\n" );
document.write( "<IMG STYLE=\"max-width:80%;\" SRC=/cgi-bin/plot-formula.mpl?expression=s+q+r+t+%28++x++%5E+2+%29+=+s+q+r+t+%28+3+6+9+%29 ALIGN=MIDDLE  ALT=\"s+q+r+t+%28++x++%5E+2+%29+=+s+q+r+t+%28+3+6+9+%29\"   DISABLED_style= \"max-width:90%; height:auto;\" > Take the square root of both sides\r<BR>\n" );
document.write( "<BR>\n" );
document.write( "<BR>\n" );
document.write( "\n" );
document.write( "<IMG STYLE=\"max-width:80%;\" SRC=/cgi-bin/plot-formula.mpl?expression=x=3%2Asqrt%2841%29 ALIGN=MIDDLE  ALT=\"x=3%2Asqrt%2841%29\"   DISABLED_style= \"max-width:90%; height:auto;\" > Simplify the square root\r<BR>\n" );
document.write( "<BR>\n" );
document.write( "<BR>\n" );
document.write( "\n" );
document.write( "Which approximates to...\r<BR>\n" );
document.write( "\n" );
document.write( "<IMG STYLE=\"max-width:80%;\" SRC=/cgi-bin/plot-formula.mpl?expression=x+=+1+9+.+2+0+9+3+7+2+7+1+2+2+9+8+5 ALIGN=MIDDLE  ALT=\"x+=+1+9+.+2+0+9+3+7+2+7+1+2+2+9+8+5\"   DISABLED_style= \"max-width:90%; height:auto;\" >\r<BR>\n" );
document.write( "<BR>\n" );
document.write( "\n" );
document.write( "So our answer is\r<BR>\n" );
document.write( "\n" );
document.write( "<IMG STYLE=\"max-width:80%;\" SRC=/cgi-bin/plot-formula.mpl?expression=x+=+1+9+.+2+0+9+3+7+2+7+1+2+2+9+8+5 ALIGN=MIDDLE  ALT=\"x+=+1+9+.+2+0+9+3+7+2+7+1+2+2+9+8+5\"   DISABLED_style= \"max-width:90%; height:auto;\" >\r<BR>\n" );
document.write( "<BR>\n" );
document.write( "<BR>\n" );
document.write( "\n" );
document.write( "So the bottom of the ladder is about 19.21 feet from the building </SPAN>\n" );
document.write( "</TD></TR></TABLE>\n" );