A 25 ft ladder (assume it is not an extension ladder) is placed with its foot 7 ft away from a building. If the top of the ladder slips down 4 ft, how many feet will the bottom slide out?
A distribution manager’s dilemma | Back – Next | Fill in the Blanks
This riddle must be done IN YOUR HEAD and NOT using paper and a pen.
A discussion about the $787 billion stimulus package which included $48 billion for transportation. Six months after, have you seen the results?
A candid discussion on the effectiveness and usefulness of facebook from an engineer’s perspective. Is it a force for good or a purposeless time waster?
Weekly brain teaser. Do you remember Algebra?
Doug had forgotten the 5 digit code to his briefcase. However, he did remember five clues: The fifth number plus the third number equals fourteen; The fourth number is one…
How long will it take you to solve this equality?
You must be logged in to post a comment.
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
8ft isnt it??
25-7=18 ft. If your ladder slips 4 ft down the wall you are in trouble. My prediction is you are going to hit the ground.
It’s 8-FT. Looks like i’m a bit late witht hat answer but I thought I would join in anyway. Is this part of a math test or something then?
Thanks guys! 8 ft is correct.
assuming angle btwn wall and ground is 90 degrees, this makes it a right triangle problem.
sq rt((25**2) – (7**2)) = 24 (vert distance that ladder is up wall)
then, after the 4 ft “slip”,
24 – 4 = 20 is distance up wall (vert)
solve for new distance from wall (Horiz)
sq rt((25**2) – (20**2)) = 15
difference between old distance and new distance is what the “slip” was
15 – 7 = 8 ft
I get 8 ft. The initial vertical dimension is 24 ft.
If it slips 4 ft vertically, the new vertical dimension is 20 ft, making the new horizontal leg of 15 ft. Original horizontal was 7 ft, so it has slipped 8ft.