Camila needs to fix the window on the front of her house. The bottom of the window is 16ft from the ground. She only has a 20ft ladder. How far from the base of the house should she set up the ladder so that the top of the ladder is exactly at the bottom of the window.
To solve this problem, we can use the Pythagorean theorem.
Let's assume that the distance from the base of the house to where Camila sets up the ladder is 'x' feet. Since the bottom of the window is 16ft from the ground, this means that the top of the ladder (which is also the base of the window) will also be 16ft above the ground.
Using the Pythagorean theorem, we can write the equation as:
x^2 + 16^2 = 20^2
Simplifying this equation, we have:
x^2 + 256 = 400
Subtracting 256 from both sides, we get:
x^2 = 144
Taking the square root of both sides, we have:
x = 12
Therefore, Camila should set up the ladder 12ft from the base of the house so that the top of the ladder is exactly at the bottom of the window.