PreAlgebra II: Pythagorean Theorem

The Pythagorean Theorem and Ladders

You're locked out of your house and the only open window is on the second floor, 25 feet above the ground. You need to borrow a ladder from one of your neighbors. There's a bush along the edge of the house, so you'll have to place the ladder 10 feet from the house. What length of ladder do you need to reach the window?


A carpenter wants to build a handicap ramp over a set of steps that is 12 feet long and 5 feet high. How long will the ramp be?


The Pythagorean Theorem and Baseball

You've just picked up a ground ball at first base, and you see the other team's player running towards third base. How far do you have to throw the ball to get it from first base to third base, and throw the runner out?