A fence 2 feet tall runs parallel to a tall building at a distance of 2 feet from the building. What is the le?

A fence 2 feet tall runs parallel to a tall building at a distance of 2 feet from the building. What is the length of the shortest ladder that will reach from the ground over the fence to the wall of the building?
Please help! thank you! (:

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2 Responses to “A fence 2 feet tall runs parallel to a tall building at a distance of 2 feet from the building. What is the le?”

  1. Since you want the shortest ladder, you would use a 45° angle. Soooo.

    2 / cos 45° gives you the distance between the highest point of the ladder and the highest point of the fence. So, add 2 to that (height of the fence) – and divide by the sin 45°.

    That should be 4.828 / sin 45°

    Which gives you 6.828 feet.

  2. J. Edward Egavas on June 7th, 2010 at 5:48 am

    The question only asks what the shortest length for a ladder that will reach over the fence and touch the building. It does not mention if the ladder must support anything; therefore, the shortest length would only be four feet. The ladder would extend vertically two feet, then transgress horizontally on a 90 degree angle for two additional feet.
    If you should be seeking the length of the fence; you would add eight feet to the perimeter of the building.

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