Question

The cat is 12 feet above the ground and the ladder is 9 feet away from the tree because of the mud. How long does the ladder needs to be to reach the tree

Answer 1

Answer:

15 feet

Step-by-step explanation:

The ladder is the hypotenuse of a right triangle, with the legs being 9 ft and 12 ft long (see the picture).

To solve for the length of the ladder, use the Pythagorean Theorem.

$9^{2} +12^{2} =c^{2} \\c=\sqrt{9^{2} +12^{2}} \\c=\sqrt{81+144} \\c=\sqrt{225} \\c=15$