Question

A Subaru Outback and a Freightliner Cascadia truck leave an intersection at the same time. The Outback heads west at an average speed of 70 miles per hour while the Cascadia heads south at an average speed of 45 miles per hour. Find an expression for their distance apart d (in miles) at the end of t hours.

Answer 1

• d = 83.22t

Explanation:

The lines form legs of a right triangle, so the distance between the cars is the hypotenuse

The lines at t hours are:

• 70t and 45t

So the distance d is:

• d = √(70t)²+(45t)² = √4900t²+2025t² = √6925t² = 83.22t
• d = 83.22t