Answer to Question #217223 in Geometry for Ayanda

Question

1.5 sketch a detail example in real life of an application of the pythagoras theorem. 4marks

Answer 1

The painter needs to determine how tall a ladder needs to be in order to safely place the base away from the wall so it won't tip over. In this case the ladder itself will be the hypotenuse.

Take for example a painter who has to paint a wall which is about 9 ft high. The painter has to put the base of the ladder 6 ft away from the wall to ensure it won’t tip. So, the length of the ladder required is $c = \sqrt{6^2 + 9^2} = 10.82ft.$