To find the length of the hypotenuse of a right triangle with both legs measuring 12 cm, you can use the Pythagorean theorem, which states:
\[ c = \sqrt{a^2 + b^2} \]
In this case, both legs \( a \) and \( b \) are 12 cm:
\[ c = \sqrt{12^2 + 12^2} \] \[ c = \sqrt{144 + 144} \] \[ c = \sqrt{288} \] \[ c \approx 16.97 \]
Rounding 16.97 to the nearest hundredth gives you 16.97.
So the correct response is 16.97.