Question

two ladders are leaning against a wall at the same angle.how far up does the shorter ladder reach..the tall ladder is 36ft high with an angle of 48ft..the small ladder has an angle of 16 ft

Answer 1

Heather, please don't be offended, but this problem description needs re-writing. We measure angles in degrees or radians, not in feet (as you have done here). Would you mind drawing a clear sketch showing the two ladders leaning against the wall, and labeling everything you can. Use the Draw utility (below).

Answer 2

H-K, Thanks for sharing this diagram; it makes the problem so much clearer for me.
Remember, we're going to measure length/distance in feet and angles in degrees.
If you'll look carefully at the diagram, you'll see that the longer ladder is 48 feet LONG and that the shorter one is 16 feet LONG.
The two ladders are set against the wall so that they make the same angle with the ground. (We don't know what that angle measurement is, but that doesn't matter.)
The longer ladder touches the wall at a point 36 feet above the ground. The shorter ladder touches the wall at how many feet above the ground?

Hints:
"similar triangles"
"proportion"
"cross multiplication"

Be certain you know the meaning of these terms.

Good luck! Ask for clarification if you need to.