1. **State the problem:** We have a ladder leaning against a building. The ladder is 28 feet long, and the building is 15 feet tall. We want to find the distance from the bottom of the ladder to the base of the building. 2. **Formula used:** This is a right triangle problem where the ladder is the hypotenuse $c$, the building height is one leg $a$, and the distance from the ladder bottom to the building is the other leg $b$. The Pythagorean theorem states: $$a^2 + b^2 = c^2$$ 3. **Plug in known values:** $$15^2 + b^2 = 28^2$$ 4. **Calculate squares:** $$225 + b^2 = 784$$ 5. **Isolate $b^2$:** $$b^2 = 784 - 225$$ $$b^2 = 559$$ 6. **Find $b$ by taking the square root:** $$b = \sqrt{559}$$ 7. **Calculate the square root and round to the nearest tenth:** $$b \approx 23.6$$ **Final answer:** The bottom of the ladder is approximately 23.6 feet from the building.