Question

A ladder 13m long reaches a window which is 5m above the ground , on one side of the street. Keeping its foot at the same point, the ladder is turned to the other side of the street to reach a window at a height of 12m. Find the width of the street.
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Answer 1

Answer:

By the Pythagorean formula for a right triangle, ie,

a^2 + b^2 = c^2

where c is the hypotenuse of the triangle

12^2 + b^2 = 13^2 or

144 + b^2 = 169 or

b^2 = 169 - 144 or

b^2 = 25 therefore

b = 5

The foot of the ladder is 5 m from the wall.