CPM Homework Help : CCA2 Problem 4-89

Sammy has a $10$ -foot wooden ladder, which he needs to climb to reach the roof of his house. The roof is $12$ feet above the ground. The base of the ladder must be at least $1.5$ feet from the base of the house. How far is it from the top step of the ladder to the edge of the roof? Draw a sketch.

Hint:

Draw and label a diagram. Let $x =$ the distance from the top of the ladder to the roof.

Diagram, with ladder leaning against a building, ladder, labeled, 10 feet, is hypotenuse of right triangle, with horizontal leg, labeled, 1.5 feet, height of building labeled, 12 feet. Double sided arrow, labeled, x, from roof to top of ladder.

More Help:

Find the unknown leg of the triangle.

Answer:

Approximately $2.11$ feet.