A roofer must set up a 40-foot ladder against the side of a house. He sets the ladder so that the distance from the base of the ladder to the wall is 1/5 of the length of the ladder. To the nearest degree, what acute angle does the ladder make with the ground?

A. 77 degrees
B. 78 degrees
C.75 degrees
D.76 degrees

Question

A roofer must set up a 40-foot ladder against the side of a house. He sets the ladder so that the distance from the base of the ladder to the wall is 1/5 of the length of the ladder. To the nearest degree, what acute angle does the ladder make with the ground?

A. 77 degrees
B. 78 degrees
C.75 degrees
D.76 degrees

amistre64 · Answer

which trig function do you think is most appropriate here?

anonymous · Answer

not sure i'm so stuck i don't know where to even begin

amistre64 · Answer

id begin with a picture,  and writing out the definitions for the 3 basic trigs.

anonymous · Answer

can't i just use the measurements and then calculate theta to get my answer?