The base of a ladder is placed 5 feet away from a 13 foot tall wall. What is the minimum length ladder needed to reach the top of the wall (rounded to the nearest foot)?
A 12 ft
B 13 ft
C 14 ft
D 15 ft
E 16 ft
To solve this problem, we can use the Pythagorean theorem which states that the square of the hypotenuse of a right triangle is equal to the sum of the squares of the other two sides.
Let x be the length of the ladder we are trying to find. The ladder, the wall, and the ground form a right triangle. The ladder is the hypotenuse, the wall is one side, and the ground is the other side.
Using the Pythagorean theorem:
x^2 = 5^2 + 13^2
x^2 = 25 + 169
x^2 = 194
x ≈ 13.93
Rounding to the nearest foot, the minimum length ladder needed to reach the top of the wall is 14 feet.
So, the answer is C) 14 ft.