A 18-foot ladder is placed against a vertical wall of a building, with the bottom of the ladder standing on level ground 7 feet from the base of the building. How high up the wall does the ladder reach?
Using the Pythagorean theorem, we can determine the height the ladder reaches on the wall.
Let x represent the height the ladder reaches on the wall.
According to the Pythagorean theorem: (height)^2 + (base)^2 = (hypotenuse)^2
x^2 + 7^2 = 18^2
x^2 + 49 = 324
x^2 = 275
x = √275
x ≈ 16.6 feet
Therefore, the ladder reaches approximately 16.6 feet up the wall.