Two ladders are leaning against a wall at the same angle, as shown. How long is the short ladder?
the first ladder is 80ft long and 50ft from the ground. The second ladder is 25ft from the ground.
30 ft
50 ft
40 ft
60 ft
Using similar triangles, we can set up the following proportions:
(short ladder length) / (distance from ground) = (long ladder length) / (distance from ground)
Let x be the length of the short ladder.
(x) / (50) = (80) / (25)
Cross-multiplying, we get:
25x = 80(50)
25x = 4000
Dividing both sides by 25, we get:
x = 160
Therefore, the short ladder is 160 ft long.
None of the provided answer choices are correct.