Answer:
The ladder should be 34 feet long.
Step-by-step explanation:
The height of the spotlight above ground = 30 feet
The base of the ladder will be = 16 feet from the base of house
We can easily assume this to be a right triangle with perpendicular as 30 feet and base as 16 feet and we have to find the hypotenuse.
Lets say the length of the ladder or hypotenuse is = x
We will apply Pythagoras theorem here.
[tex]30^{2} +16^{2} =x^{2}[/tex]
=> [tex]900+256 =x^{2}[/tex]
=> [tex]1156 =x^{2}[/tex]
=> [tex]x=\sqrt{1156}[/tex]
So, x = 34
Hence, the ladder should be 34 feet long.