Answer:
The ladder is 17 feet long
Step-by-step explanation:
Let
a ----> the height of the root in feet
b ----> the horizontal distance of the base of the ladder from the house in feet
we have
[tex]a=15\ ft\\b=8\ ft[/tex]
To find out the how long is the ladder apply the Pythagorean Theorem
Let
c ---> the length of the ladder
[tex]c^2=a^2+b^2[/tex]
where
c is the greater side (hypotenuse)
a and b are the legs
substitute the given values
[tex]c^2=15^2+8^2[/tex]
[tex]c^2=289\\c=17\ ft[/tex]
therefore
The ladder is 17 feet long
