SOLUTION
Given the question in the image, the following are the solution steps to answer the question.
STEP 1: Label the sides of the triangle
The required length of the ladder is the hypotenuse and we can use the pythagoras' theorem to find the hypotenuse which is given below:
[tex]hypotenuse^2=opposite^2+adjacent^2[/tex]
Write the given sides
[tex]\begin{gathered} opposite=15ft \\ adjacent=8ft \\ hypotenuse=? \end{gathered}[/tex]
By substitution,
[tex]\begin{gathered} hypotenuse^2=15^2+8^2 \\ hypotenuse^2=225+64=289 \\ hypotenuse=\sqrt{289}=\sqrt{17\times17}=17 \end{gathered}[/tex]
Hence, the height of the ladder is 17ft
