A 15-foot ladder is leaning against a house. The bottom of the ladder is 9 feet away from the base of the house. How far up the house does the ladder reach

Step-by-step explanation:

The ladder forms a right angle triangle with the building and the ground. The length of the ladder represents the hypotenuse of the right angle triangle. The height, h from the top of the ladder to the base of the house represents the opposite side of the right angle triangle.

The distance from the foot of the ladder to the base of the house represents the adjacent side of the right angle triangle.

To determine the height, h that the ladder reaches, we would apply Pythagoras theorem which is expressed as

Hypotenuse² = opposite side² + adjacent side²

15² = 9² + h²

225 = 81 + h²

h² = 225 - 81 = 144

h = √144 = 12 feet