Question

A glider flies 13 miles north from the airport and then 24 miles diagonally southeast. Approximately how far west does the glider have to fly to return to the airport?

Answer 1

20.2 miles

Explanation:

This can be described by the three sides of a right angled triangle. Let the distance of the glider to the airport be represented by x, applying the Pythagoras theorem:

`/hyp/^(2)` =
`/adj1/^(2)` +
`/adj2/^(2)`

`/24/^(2)` =
`/x/^(2)` +
`/13/^(2)`

576 =
`x^(2)` + 169

`x^(2)` = 576 - 169

= 407

x =
`√(407)`

= 20.1742

x = 20.2 miles

The glider has to fly 20.2 miles to return to the airport.