Stage: 4 Challenge Level: 
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A ladder 3m long rests against a wall with one end a short distance from its base. Between the wall and the base of a ladder is a garden storage box 1m tall and 1m wide. What is the maximum distance up the wall that the ladder can reach?
biology. Real world. Similarity. Interactivities. Iteration. Maximise/minimise/optimise. Pythagoras' theorem. engineering. Mathematical modelling. Ratio.
Published January 2005.
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