Brain Teasers
Ladder
Assume the ladder is NOT an extension ladder.
A 25 ft ladder is placed with its foot 7 ft away from a building. If the top of the ladder slips down 4 ft, how many feet will the bottom slide out?
A 25 ft ladder is placed with its foot 7 ft away from a building. If the top of the ladder slips down 4 ft, how many feet will the bottom slide out?
Hint
It is not 4 ft. Try some Pythagorean theoreming.Answer
8 ftFirst triangle: 7 squared + 24 squared = 25 squared, so the top of the ladder was 24 feet high.
24 - 4= 20. 25 squared - 20 squared = 225. Take the square root of that and you get 15: the new base of the triangle. 15 - 7 (the old base) = 8ft
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Comments
Yeah craz! Grats on your first teaser. Good job!
Much love to you on your first.
Way to go, CC! Congrats on your first teaser!
The way you worded the question can give the suggestion that the ladder is an extention ladder. Therefore if the top slips down, as you say-- you're not saying the whole ladder slips down 4 ft., just the top --- then the bottom, most likely, will not move at all! For as we all know, extension ladders can have the problem of the top slipping down when not properly hooked, thus making a loud clank, but leaving the bottom of the ladder where it originally was-- give or take a few millimeters or so.
YEY!! lol it came from a problem i had for homework so sorry about the confusion
It has been sooooooooooo long since I have used pythag theorem
Well done, at least your teasers make it on here, mine are way to difficult for the editors to solve, they assume everyone else can't do it which isn't true.
I'm tired of thinking up puzzles and having em rejected.
I'm tired of thinking up puzzles and having em rejected.
Chur teaser rocks.
It's very good. Congrats on getting it accpeted!
I got 6ft. does that count as the right answer? XD
It's very good. Congrats on getting it accpeted!
I got 6ft. does that count as the right answer? XD
great job, crazy
Impressive first teaser! I hope to see more.
Mar 28, 2006
Just for the sake of accuracy, you did mean to put in the solution that 25 squared - 20 squared = 225 right?
inpressive 1st teaser like mine but wow urs it's off the hook! lol
but im not a math wiz but still good teaser
but im not a math wiz but still good teaser
lol ty everyone!!
CRAZY wrecks my head... yet again..LOL
Guess what? i just learned about that Pythagorean Theorem on thursday in math class!! (but i still got it wrong)lol
I also just learnt Pythagorus Therom so I got it after reading the hint. Nice job my fellow crazy one
Hey CC, great first teaser (esp since I'm a Math teacher). I really do love ladder problems and this was a great one. (plus, I did it quick in my head and got it WRONG ...... don't tell my students)
thank you!!! and ok i wont gunn lol
w2g gurlie
P.S. i got it rong
P.S. i got it rong
cool teaser i liked it but i didnt get it right away but still cool teaser
Good job on your first teaser, CC!
Ha! I still remember how to do this
(well i only learned it last year, but i don't usually think during the summer)
(well i only learned it last year, but i don't usually think during the summer)
nerd
it's just dopy lol
it's just dopy lol
lol i find it ironic and comical that my first accepted teaser was about a ladder...and i just fell off one a week ago
boring, but interesting ...just kidding...lol
huh?
Yayy, I did it-- that was really easy, actually.
hey i thought this was a trick question. the bottom stay on the ground. this was hard.
Dec 27, 2007
The question is worded poorly. The correct answer is that the ladder slips out 1 foot (being the sum of the original 7 plus an extra foot, giving an overall distance from the wall of 8 feet)
:-) nce one.. so u mean before by buddy pytho , one would have to use a actual ladder to find the answer ?
johnlr - pls read the answer again.. the ladder slips out 15 ft ... so 8 more than the previous 7ft
johnlr - pls read the answer again.. the ladder slips out 15 ft ... so 8 more than the previous 7ft
I got it, but if I had to show my work, I would have got an F-!
Thanks, great teaser and now I have something to look up and learn!
Thanks, great teaser and now I have something to look up and learn!
Math was one of my strongest subjects,so this was easy.
Suddenly I'm back in high school again! Will there be a test on this? Great teaser. I'm ready for another!!!
Math is no my thing. So I didn't even try, but thanks for posting.
Complicated answer.
Nice teaser.
A squared + B squared = C squared, boy does that bring back memories of elementary school. Always loved math. Good one.
very nice teaser. I enjoyed it. Thanks.
WOO HOO! Second time this has been the Teaser of the Day...I think. =D
I know that 8ft is the correct answer using geometry.
A lateral-thinking (or would that be ladderal thinking) solution would be that both of the ladder's feet slid out. Therefore the ladder slid two feet out.
A lateral-thinking (or would that be ladderal thinking) solution would be that both of the ladder's feet slid out. Therefore the ladder slid two feet out.
I gave up that kind of math when I graduated from college. I couldn't even understand the explanation!
12 seconds in my head. I could even guess the answer before doing it since I was pretty sure you were using a 3-4-5 right triangle for the second part since 25 is a multiple of 5.
Still, nice teaser.
Still, nice teaser.
Know your 7-24-25 and 3-4-5's!!!!
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