Geometry and TrigonometryMediumHeight reached on a wall from a 60° angle and base distance
Geometry and Trigonometry practice question
A ladder makes a 60° angle with the level ground, and its foot is 5 metres from the wall. How high up the wall, in metres, does the ladder reach? Round to the nearest tenth.
Answer: 8.7
The height is the side opposite 60° with adjacent side 5: 5 tan 60° = 5√3 ≈ 8.7.
Common wrong answers
- If you answered 10
- 10 is 5 ÷ cos 60°, the length of the ladder, not the height.
- If you answered 2.9
- 2.9 is 5 tan 30°, using the wrong angle.
- If you answered 4.3
- 4.3 is 5 sin 60°, which would need 5 to be the hypotenuse.
More Geometry and Trigonometry questions
- Medium
In a 45°-45°-90° right triangle, each leg has length 5. What is the length of the hypotenuse? - Medium
A cylinder has a radius of 3 and a height of 10. What is its volume? (Use V = πr²h.) - Medium
In a right triangle, the side opposite angle θ has length 3 and the hypotenuse has length 5. What is sin θ? - Medium
Two triangles are similar with a ratio of 2 to 3. A side of the smaller triangle measures 8. What is the lengt… - Medium
What is the distance between the points (1, 2) and (4, 6) in the coordinate plane? - Medium
A circle has a radius of 6. What is the area of a sector with a central angle of 60°?
Not affiliated with the College Board. SAT is a trademark of the College Board.