The question is below?

A ladder rests against a wall with an angle alphaα to the horizontal. Its foot is being pulled away from the wall through a distance aa so that it slides aa distance bb down the wall making an angle betaβ with the horizontal. Show that a=b*tan((alpha+beta)/2)a=btan(α+β2)

2 Answers
Jun 5, 2018

Duplicate deleted

Jun 5, 2018

google

Let AB and CD be 1st and 2nd positions of the ladder. So AB=CD =x (say)AB=CD=x(say).
Again as per problem BC=a and AD=bBC=aandAD=b

Now

a=BC=EC-EB=((EC)/(CD)-(EB)/(CD))*CDa=BC=ECEB=(ECCDEBCD)CD

=>a=((EC)/(CD)-(EB)/(AB))*CDa=(ECCDEBAB)CD

=>a=(cosbeta-cosalpha)x...[1]

Similarly

b=AD=AE-ED=((AE)/(AB)-(ED)/(AB))*AB

=>b=((AE)/(AB)-(ED)/(CD))*AB

=>b=(sinalpha-sinbeta)x...[2]

Dividing [1] by [2] we get

a/b=(cosbeta-cosalpha)/(sinalpha-sinbeta)

=>a/b=(2sin((alpha+beta)/2)sin((alpha-beta)/2))/(2cos((alpha+beta)/2)sin((alpha-beta)/2))

Hence

a=btan((alpha+beta)/2)

Proved