For a 16 ft ladder leaning against a building, how far must the base be from the wall for a safe slope?

To determine how far the base of a ladder should be from the wall for a safe slope, we can apply the principles established by the recommended ladder angle, which is approximately 75 degrees from the ground. When using a ladder, a common rule of thumb is to place the base one foot away from the wall for every four feet of ladder height.

In this case, the ladder is 16 feet long. Following the rule, for every 4 feet of height, the base should be positioned 1 foot away. Therefore, for a 16-foot ladder, the calculation is as follows:

1. Determine the vertical height the ladder would reach: since the ladder is 16 feet long, when set at a safe angle, it will cover most of that height toward the wall.
2. For a safe slope, one foot of distance for every four feet of height means you take 16 feet (the length of the ladder) and divide it by 4, which results in 4.
3. This means the base of the ladder should be 4 feet from the wall for every 16 feet in height, adhering to the concept of maintaining a safe angle for stability.

Thus, placing the base 4 feet from the wall establishes