A Fence $10 \mathrm { ft }$ Tall Runs Parallel to a Tall Building at a Distance

question 28

Short Answer

A fence $10 \mathrm { ft }$ tall runs parallel to a tall building at a distance of $5 \mathrm { ft }$ 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? Round the result to the nearest hundredth.

---

Definitions:

Simplify

To simplify an expression means to reduce it to its simplest form, by performing all possible operations and combining like terms.

Evaluate

To calculate the value of an expression by substituting variables with given numerical values and performing the operations in the expression.

Function

A function is a mathematical relation between sets that associates every element of a first set to exactly one element of a second set.

Absolute Value

The distance of a number on the number line from zero, without considering which direction from zero the number lies.