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

5782 Views

See similar Maths GCSE tutors

Related Maths GCSE answers

All answers ▸

We have two straight lines AB and CD. The coordinates of A,B and C are A(1,3), B(5,9) and C(0,8). The point D lies on the line AB and is halfway between points A and B. Is the line CD perpendicular to AB?


How do I simplify an equation?


A bag contains only apple and oranges. The probability an apple is picked randomly is 1 in 5. The apple is returned, and five more apples are added to the bag. The probability of an apple being picked is now 1in 3. How many apples were there originally?


Solve 5x-9=26.


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