A rescue and ?re squad places a 15 ft ladder against a burning building. If the ladder is 9 ft from the base of the building, how far up the building will the ladder reach?

a. 8 ft

b. 10 ft

c. 12 ft

d. 14 ft

c. The ladder creates a right triangle with the building. The length of the ladder is the hypotenuse and the distance from the base is a leg. The question asks you to answer for the remaining leg of the triangle, or how far up the building the ladder will go. Using the Pythagorean theorem:  9² + b² = 15²; 81 + b² = 225;  b² =  225 - 81; b² = 144; b = 12.