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A 40 foot ladder is set against the side of a house so that it reaches up 24 feet. If Lily grabs the ladder at its base and pulls it 4 feet farther from the house, how far up the side of the house will the ladder reach now? (The answer is not 
20ft.) Round to the nearest tenth of a foot.

Question\newlineWatch Video\newlineShow Examples\newlineA 4040 foot ladder is set against the side of a house so that it reaches up 2424 feet. If Lily grabs the ladder at its base and pulls it 44 feet farther from the house, how far up the side of the house will the ladder reach now? (The answer is not 20ft 20 \mathrm{ft} .) Round to the nearest tenth of a foot.

Full solution

Q. Question\newlineWatch Video\newlineShow Examples\newlineA 4040 foot ladder is set against the side of a house so that it reaches up 2424 feet. If Lily grabs the ladder at its base and pulls it 44 feet farther from the house, how far up the side of the house will the ladder reach now? (The answer is not 20ft 20 \mathrm{ft} .) Round to the nearest tenth of a foot.
  1. Identify Problem: question_prompt: How far up the side of the house will the ladder reach now after being pulled 44 feet farther from the house?
  2. Original Triangle: Original ladder position forms a right triangle with the house and ground. The ladder is the hypotenuse, 4040 feet. The height reached is one leg, 2424 feet. We need to find the original distance from the house, which is the other leg.
  3. Pythagorean Theorem: Use Pythagorean Theorem: a2+b2=c2a^2 + b^2 = c^2, where cc is the ladder length, aa is the height reached, and bb is the original distance from the house. Plug in the known values: 242+b2=40224^2 + b^2 = 40^2.
  4. Calculate Original Distance: Calculate the original distance from the house: 242+b2=40224^2 + b^2 = 40^2, so 576+b2=1600576 + b^2 = 1600. Subtract 576576 from both sides to get b2=1600576b^2 = 1600 - 576.
  5. Find Original Distance: Continue calculation: b2=1600576b^2 = 1600 - 576, so b2=1024b^2 = 1024. Take the square root of both sides to find bb: b=1024b = \sqrt{1024}.
  6. Calculate New Distance: Find the original distance from the house: b=1024b = \sqrt{1024}, so b=32b = 32 feet.
  7. New Triangle: Lily pulls the ladder 44 feet farther from the house, so the new distance from the house is 32+4=3632 + 4 = 36 feet.
  8. Calculate New Height: Now we have a new right triangle with the ladder still as the hypotenuse (4040 feet) and the new distance from the house (3636 feet). We need to find the new height reached using the Pythagorean Theorem: a2+362=402a^2 + 36^2 = 40^2.
  9. Calculate New Height: Calculate the new height reached: a2+362=402a^2 + 36^2 = 40^2, so a2+1296=1600a^2 + 1296 = 1600. Subtract 12961296 from both sides to get a2=16001296a^2 = 1600 - 1296.
  10. Final Height: Continue calculation: a2=16001296a^2 = 1600 - 1296, so a2=304a^2 = 304. Take the square root of both sides to find aa: a=304a = \sqrt{304}.
  11. Final Height: Continue calculation: a2=16001296a^2 = 1600 - 1296, so a2=304a^2 = 304. Take the square root of both sides to find aa: a=304a = \sqrt{304}. Find the new height reached: a=304a = \sqrt{304}, so a17.4a \approx 17.4 feet. Round to the nearest tenth of a foot.

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