A 17-foot ladder is leaning against a building. The base of the ladder is 8 feet from the base of the building. The side of the building and the ground form
a right angle as shown.

Enter the distance between the ground and the top of the ladder, x, in feet.

Pythagorean theorem:

x^2 = 17^2 - 8^2

x^2 = 225

x = sqrt(225) = 15

The distance is 15 ft

option a is correct.

step-by-step explanation:

scale factor: it is used to find proportional measurements.

proportions means having the same ratio.

scale factor is the ratio of the model measurement to the actual measurement in a simplest form.

or we can say that the ratio of any two corresponding lengths in two similar geometric figures

if the scale factor is more than 1, then it is an enlargement,

if the scale factor less than 1, then it is a reduction.

given the two geometric figure:

by definition of proportions, we have