Answer: the top of the ladder is 15 feet up the wall
Step-by-step explanation:
The attached photo shows the triangle ABC formed by the ladder and the wall. It is a right angle triangle because one of its angles is 90 degrees. The ladder is the hypotenuse of the triangle. To determine how far up the wall that the top of the ladder is,we would find BC by applying Pythagoras theorem
Hypotenuse^2 = opposite ^2 + adjacent^2
17^2 + 8^2 + BC^2
BC^2 = 289 - 64 = 225
BC = √225 = 15
