Question

A taxicab moves five blocks due north, five blocks due east, and another three blocks due north. Assume all blocks are of equal size. How far is the taxi from its starting point

Answer 1

9.43

Explanation:

Given

See attachment for illustration

Required

Distance AE

The actual path taken by the taxicab are in bold lines.

To calculate the distance AE, we simply consider the triangle AOE where

`AE^2 = OE^2 + AO^2`

`AE^2 = 5^2 + (5+3)^2`

`AE^2 = 5^2 + 8^2`

`AE^2 = 25 + 64`

`AE^2 = 89`

Take square roots

`AE = \sqrt{89`

`AE = 9.43`