At an instant when the foot of a 20-ft ladder is 12 ft from a vertical wall

MATHEMATICS · Single correct · AP · Calculus AB · Contextual Applications of Differentiation · Contextual Applications of Differentiation

Problem

At an instant when the foot of a 20-ft ladder is 12 ft from a vertical wall, the foot is sliding away from the wall at a rate of 3 ft/s. What is the instantaneous velocity of the top of the ladder at that moment? (a) −1.80 ft/s-1.80\text{ ft/s} (b) 2.25 ft/s2.25\text{ ft/s} (c) −2.25 ft/s-2.25\text{ ft/s} (d) −4.00 ft/s-4.00\text{ ft/s}

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