Answer:
the height the ladder can reach up the building to save the cat = 13.9feet
Question:
The question didn't state the height of the building. If the ladder was initially 12feet and then it was extended to another length to reach the top of the roof, we need the height of the building to enable us calculate how high the ladder can reach up the building the save the cat.
Let's consider the following question:
A cat gets stuck on the roof. If the ladder is 12 feet long and must be placed 7 feet away from the building. How high can the ladder reach up the building to save the cat if the height of the building is 12feet.
Explanation:
The distance between the foot of the ladder to foot of the building = 7feet
adjacent = 7feet
The height of the building = 12feet
Opposite = 12feet
The length of the ladder is unknown
To find how high can the ladder reach up the building to save the cat, we would apply Pythagoras theorem
Using Pythagoras theorem
Hypotenuse ² = opposite ² + adjacent²
Hypotenuse ² = 12² + 7²
Hypotenuse ² = 144 + 49
Hypotenuse ² = 193
Hypotenuse = √193
Hypotenuse = 13.9feet
The height of the ladder to reach up the building to save the cat = 13.9feet