A 12ft ladder leans against the side of a house. The bottom of the ladder is 8 ft from the side of The house. How high is the top of the ladder from the ground? If necessary, round your answer to the nearest tenth.
Using the Pythagorean theorem (a^2 + b^2 = c^2) where a = 8 ft, b = height of the ladder from the ground, and c = 12 ft (the length of the ladder):
8^2 + b^2 = 12^2
64 + b^2 = 144
b^2 = 80
b = √80
b ≈ 8.9 ft
Therefore, the top of the ladder is approximately 8.9 ft from the ground.