Final answer:
The actual shortest distance between any two places can be found using the Pythagorean theorem, which involves measuring the horizontal and vertical distances between the points and calculating the straight-line distance.
Step-by-step explanation:
The actual shortest distance between any two places can be found by using the Pythagorean theorem. The theorem states that in a right triangle, the sum of the squares of the lengths of the two legs is equal to the square of the length of the hypotenuse. In this case, the two legs represent the horizontal and vertical distances between the two points, and the hypotenuse represents the straight-line distance.
So, to find the actual shortest distance between any two places, you need to measure the horizontal and vertical distances between the points and use the Pythagorean theorem to calculate the straight-line distance.
For example, if the horizontal distance is 3 units and the vertical distance is 4 units, the straight-line distance can be found using the formula: c = sqrt(a^2 + b^2) = sqrt(3^2 + 4^2) = sqrt(9 + 16) = sqrt(25) = 5 units.