A 25 foot ladder leans against a house. How far is the foot of the ladder from the base of the building if the top of the ladder is 20 feet from the ground?
15 ft
18 ft
10 ft
20 ft
We can use the Pythagorean theorem to solve this problem. Let x be the distance between the foot of the ladder and the base of the building.
Then, we have:
x^2 + 20^2 = 25^2
Simplifying:
x^2 + 400 = 625
x^2 = 225
Taking the square root of both sides:
x = 15
Therefore, the foot of the ladder is 15 feet from the base of the building. Answer: 15 ft.