SOLUTION: A ladder is leaning against a building. The distance from the bottom of the ladder to the building is 8 feet less than the length of the ladder. How high up the side of the buildin
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-> SOLUTION: A ladder is leaning against a building. The distance from the bottom of the ladder to the building is 8 feet less than the length of the ladder. How high up the side of the buildin
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Question 34512: A ladder is leaning against a building. The distance from the bottom of the ladder to the building is 8 feet less than the length of the ladder. How high up the side of the building is the top of the ladder, if that distance is 1 foot less than the length of the ladder? Answer by Paul(988) (Show Source):
You can put this solution on YOUR website! Let the length be x
Let the distance from bottom ... be x-8
Distance = x-1
From pythagorean theorem:
(x-1)^2+(x-8)^2=x^2
(x^2+1-2x)+(x^2-16x+64)=x^2
2x^2-18x+65=x^2
x^2-18x+65=0
Factor x=5 and x=13
Remove the x=5 so that x=13
SO given x= 13 can you solve from there?
Paul.
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