Question

If a runner jogs 3 miles west and then jogs 3 miles

north, how far is the runner from her starting point
if she plans to run straight back?

Answer 1

When the runner jogs 3 miles west and then 3 miles north, she forms a right triangle with her starting point. To find the distance from her starting point to her current position (the hypotenuse of the right triangle), you can use the Pythagorean theorem.

In this case, the legs of the right triangle are 3 miles west and 3 miles north. So:

a^2 + b^2 = c^2

Where:

a = 3 miles (west)

b = 3 miles (north)

Now, plug in these values into the equation:

3^2 + 3^2 = c^2

9 + 9 = c^2

18 = c^2

To find c, take the square root of both sides:

c = √18

c = 3√2

So, the runner is approximately 3√2 miles from her starting point if she plans to run straight back.

Culled from AI