To find the length of the hypotenuse of a right triangle with legs of length 12 cm each, we can use the Pythagorean theorem:
\[ c = \sqrt{a^2 + b^2} \]
where \(c\) is the hypotenuse, and \(a\) and \(b\) are the lengths of the legs. In this case, both \(a\) and \(b\) are 12 cm.
\[ c = \sqrt{12^2 + 12^2} = \sqrt{144 + 144} = \sqrt{288} \]
Calculating \(\sqrt{288}\):
\[ \sqrt{288} \approx 16.97 \]
So, rounding to the nearest hundredth, the hypotenuse is approximately \(16.97\) cm.
Thus, the correct response is:
16.97