A ladder of length 4.5m is leaning against a wall. The foot of the ladder is 2.3m from the base of the wall. What is the angle the ladder makes with the wall?

This is an application of trigonometry. The right angle in this case is between the wall and the floor and the hypotenuse is the ladder. The angle between the wall and the ladder can using the sine of the angle.
sin(angle) = opposite / hypotenuse = 3.2 /6.4 = 0.5Therefore, angle = sin-1(0.5) = 30°
We can also use the cosine of the angle, although this would require an extra step of finding the length of the wall using Pythagoras.

NF
Answered by Nicci F. Maths tutor

6237 Views

See similar Maths GCSE tutors

Related Maths GCSE answers

All answers ▸

How could you sketch a graph for y=x^2-10x+21?


Jess wants to buy 30 mugs for her tea party. She can buy them at Shop A at £3.49 each or at Shop B as a pack of 30 at £58 plus VAT at 20%. She wants to get the cheapest option. Which shop should she buy from?


Solve 7x + 6 > 1 + 2x


Tom is making gift bags, each of which will contain two balloons. He wants to hide a sweet in one of the balloons. 20 balloons cost £1.33, 15 sweets cost £2.05. What is the minimum he needs to spend to make 35 bags?


We're here to help

contact us iconContact ustelephone icon+44 (0) 203 773 6020
Facebook logoInstagram logoLinkedIn logo

MyTutor is part of the IXL family of brands:

© 2026 by IXL Learning