Question

Amanda leaned a 15-foot ladder against the top of her house so she could get on the roof, which is 12 feet from the ground.

Answer 1

If you're trying to find the missing side of the "triangle" (the distance from the house to where the ladder touches the ground), you would use the pythagorean theorem, a²+b²=c². (c is always hypotenuse)

a²+b²=c²

12²+b²=15²

144+b²=225

b²=81

√b²=√81

b=9