A firefighter in training leans a 21-foot extension ladder against an office building. How far from the building should the ladder be placed if the firefighter wants to reach a window that is 15 feet above the ground?
a. Draw a right triangle to represent this situation. Label the lengths of the known sides. Label the length of the unknown side x.
b. Use the Pythagorean theorem to find the length of the missing side. Be sure to indicate which root represents the answer and write the answer in simplest radical form.

Question

A firefighter in training leans a 21-foot extension ladder against an office building. How far from the building should the ladder be placed if the firefighter wants to reach a window that is 15 feet above the ground?
a. Draw a right triangle to represent this situation. Label the lengths of the known sides. Label the length of the unknown side x.
b. Use the Pythagorean theorem to find the length of the missing side. Be sure to indicate which root represents the answer and write the answer in simplest radical form.