a ladder is 15 ft long and is leaning against the wall. the top of the ladder is 12 feet above the ground. find the distance from the bottom of the ladder to the wall. draw and label a picture and show work....
if the distance is d,
d^2 + 12^2 = 15^2
d^2 + 144 = 225
d^2 = 81
d = 9
but then you knew that anyway, since it's a nice 3-4-5 triangle scaled by a factor of 3, eh?