Question:A ladder of length 5 m rests with its foot on horizontal ground and leans against a vertical wall. If the inclination of the ladder to the horizontal is `47^@` , find the distance of the foot of the ladder from the wall.
Answer
If x meters, is the distance of the foot of the ladder from the wall.
cos `47^@` = `x/7`
`:.` x = 5 cos `47^@`
= `5 xx 0.6820`
= 3.410
= 3.41 (correct to 3 sig. fig.).
The foot of the ladder is 3.41 m from the wall.