A ladder of length 6 metres makes an angle of 45° with the floor while leaning against one wall of a room.
A ladder of length 6 metres makes an angle of 45° with the floor while leaning against one wall of a room. If the foot of the ladder is kept fixed on the floor and it is made to lean against the opposite wall of the room, it makes an angle of 60° with the floor. Find the distance between two walls of the room.
Let AB and CD be the two opposite walls of the room and the foot of the ladder be fixed at the point O on the ground.
We have,
$\mathrm{AO}=\mathrm{CO}=6 \mathrm{~m}, \angle \mathrm{AOB}=60^{\circ}$ and $\angle \mathrm{COD}=45^{\circ}$
In $\Delta \mathrm{ABO}$
$\cos 60^{\circ}=\frac{\mathrm{BO}}{\mathrm{AO}}$
$\Rightarrow \frac{1}{2}=\frac{\mathrm{BO}}{6}$
$\Rightarrow \mathrm{BO}=\frac{6}{2}$
$\Rightarrow \mathrm{BO}=3 \mathrm{~m}$
Also, in $\Delta \mathrm{CDO}$,
$\cos 45^{\circ}=\frac{\mathrm{DO}}{\mathrm{CO}}$
$\Rightarrow \frac{1}{\sqrt{2}}=\frac{\text { DO }}{6}$
$\Rightarrow$ DO $=\frac{6}{\sqrt{2}}$
$\Rightarrow$ DO $=\frac{6}{\sqrt{2}} \times \frac{\sqrt{2}}{\sqrt{2}}$
$\Rightarrow$ DO $=\frac{6 \sqrt{2}}{2}$
$\Rightarrow$ DO $=3 \sqrt{2} \mathrm{~m}$
Now, the distance between two walls of the room $=\mathrm{BD}$
$=\mathrm{BO}+\mathrm{DO}$
$=3+3 \sqrt{2}$
$=3(1+\sqrt{2})$
$=3(1+1.414)$
$=3(2.414)$
$=7.242$
$\approx 7.24 \mathrm{~m}$
So, the distance between two walls of the room is 7.24 m.