Painters use ladders to paint on high buildings and often use the help of Pythagoras’ theorem to complete their work. The painter needs to determine how tall a ladder needs to be in order to safely place the base away from the wall so it won’t tip over. In this case the ladder itself will be the hypotenuse. Take for example a painter who has to paint a wall which is about 9 ft high. The painter has to put the base of the ladder 6 ft away from the wall to ensure it won’t tip. What will be the length of the ladder required by the painter to complete his work?