A 20 ft ladder reaches a window 18 ft high. How far is the foot of the ladder from the base of the building? How far must the foot of the ladder be moved to lower the top of the ladder by 2 ft?

Question

anonymous · Answer

sqrt(20^2-18^2)

anonymous · Answer

Uzma is correct.
If the ladder is lowered 2 ft then it would reach the window 16ft high.
so.

Sqrt(20^2 - 16^2)

anonymous · Answer

sqrt(76)=8.7177 is the distance of foot of ladder

anonymous · Answer

so if it was moved by 2 feet then the answer would be 12?

anonymous · Answer

so then it must be moved 3.3 feet because it is 12-8.7?

anonymous · Answer

if the ladder is lowered 2 feet, it reaches 16 feet, so base length is
sqrt(20^2-16^2)=12
the foot of ladder should be moved to 12-8.7177 =3.2823