SOLUTION: The edge of a 4-meter long ladder is 3.5 meters from the base of a building. Will the top of the ladder reach a window that is 3.8 meters from the ground? Can you also explain it?

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Question 121561: The edge of a 4-meter long ladder is 3.5 meters from the base of a building. Will the top of the ladder reach a window that is 3.8 meters from the ground? Can you also explain it?
Found 2 solutions by checkley71, algebrapro18:
Answer by checkley71(8403) (Show Source):
You can put this solution on YOUR website!
you have a right triangle with an hypotenuse=4 & one side=3.5.
here we solve for the other side.
3.5^2+x^2=4^2
12.25+x^2=16
x^2=16-12.25
x^2=3.75
x=sqrt3.75
x=1.936 this answer says NO. the maximum height the ladder can reach is 1.936 meters.

Answer by algebrapro18(249) (Show Source):
You can put this solution on YOUR website!
well the ladder is 4 meters long and 3.5 meters from the base of the building. This creates a right angle and with one leg being x units long the other being 3.5 meters long and the hypotenuse being 4 meters in length. Now you can just use the Pythagorean theorem.
a = 3.5
b = b
c = 4

(3.5)^2 + b^2 = 16 --> square 3.5
12.25 + b^2 = 16 --> subtract 12.25 from both sides
b^2 = 3.75
since the actual height of the building under the ladder is the ladder comes in far under the window.