88Ladder as right triangle
A 13-foot ladder leans against a vertical wall. The bottom of the ladder is 5 feet from the base of the wall on level ground. How high up the wall, in feet, does the top of the ladder reach? A) 8 B) 12 C) 13.9 D) 18
The ladder reaches 12 feet up the wall, answer B. The base, wall, and ladder form a right triangle with legs 5 and h, hypotenuse 13, so 5² + h² = 13² gives h = 12.