Geometry and TrigonometryEasy–MediumHow high a ladder reaches
Geometry and Trigonometry practice question
A 15-foot ladder leans against a wall with its foot 9 feet from the base of the wall. How many feet up the wall does the ladder reach?
Answer: 12
The ladder is the hypotenuse: √(15² − 9²) = √(225 − 81) = √144 = 12.
Common wrong answers
- If you answered 6
- 6 is 15 − 9; lengths don't subtract, squares do.
- If you answered 24
- 24 is 15 + 9.
- If you answered 17.5
- 17.5 is √(225 + 81), adding the squares as if 15 were a leg.
More Geometry and Trigonometry questions
- Easy–Medium
A circle has a radius of 6. What is its area? (Use A = πr².) - Easy–Medium
A right triangle has legs of length 6 and 8. What is the length of the hypotenuse? - Easy–Medium
A circle has a radius of 5. What is its circumference? (Use C = 2πr.) - Easy–Medium
What is the midpoint of the segment joining the points (2, 3) and (8, 11)? - Easy–Medium
What is the measure, in degrees, of angle B? - Easy–Medium
What is the area, in square centimeters, of the trapezoid?
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