Question

a 16 foot ladder rests against the side of a house and the base of the ladder is 4 feet away. how high above the ground is the top of the ladder? round to the nearestt tenth of a foot. a. 15.5 feet b. 16.5 feet c. 20 feet d. 240 feet please select the best answer from the choices provided a b c d

Explanation:

Step1: Identify right triangle sides

Ladder = hypotenuse $c=16$ ft, base $a=4$ ft, height $b=?$

Step2: Apply Pythagorean theorem

$a^2 + b^2 = c^2$ → $b = \sqrt{c^2 - a^2}$

Step3: Substitute values and calculate

$b = \sqrt{16^2 - 4^2} = \sqrt{256 - 16} = \sqrt{240} \approx 15.5$ ft

Answer:

A. 15.5 feet