1. **State the problem:** A hummingbird's nest is 12 meters high in a tree, and a flower is 9 meters away from the base of the tree on the ground. We need to find the distance the hummingbird must fly from the nest to the flower. 2. **Identify the formula:** This is a right triangle problem where the height of the tree and the horizontal distance form the two legs. The distance the hummingbird flies is the hypotenuse. Use the Pythagorean theorem: $$c = \sqrt{a^2 + b^2}$$ where $a$ and $b$ are the legs, and $c$ is the hypotenuse. 3. **Substitute the values:** $$c = \sqrt{12^2 + 9^2}$$ 4. **Calculate the squares:** $$c = \sqrt{144 + 81}$$ 5. **Add inside the square root:** $$c = \sqrt{225}$$ 6. **Find the square root:** $$c = 15$$ 7. **Answer:** The hummingbird needs to fly 15 meters to get from its nest to the flower.