A fire is raging in an apartment house. you see kids in a window in an upstairs window. the window is 24 feet off the ground. you have a ladder, but it only extends to 30 feet, how far from the house must you place the ladder to reach the kids?
a^2 + b^2 = c^2
24^2 + b^2 = 30^2
576 = b^2 = 900
b^2 = 900 - 576
b^2 = 324
b = 18