SOLUTION: A ladder 17 ft long leans against a building, if its foot is 8 ft from the building how high does it reach the building?

Algebra ->  Customizable Word Problem Solvers  -> Geometry -> SOLUTION: A ladder 17 ft long leans against a building, if its foot is 8 ft from the building how high does it reach the building?      Log On

Ad: Over 600 Algebra Word Problems at edhelper.com


    

Question 689272: A ladder 17 ft long leans against a building, if its foot is 8 ft from the building how high does it reach the building?
Answer by vleith(2983) About Me  (Show Source):
You can put this solution on YOUR website!
The ladder makes a right triangle with the wall.
One leg of the triangle is 8. The hypotenuse is 17.
So solve using Pythagorean theorem
17%5E2+=+8%5E2+%2B+y%5E2
sqrt%2817%5E2+-+8%5E2%29+=+y
You can take it from here :)
15