Question

You walk 4 steps north. You turn and then walk 3 steps east. Every step is the same length. What is the shortest distance from where you started to where you ended?

Answer 1

Hello there!

To solve this problem, you will use the Pythagorean Theorem to find the diagonal between these two points. a^2 + b^2= c^2

_ _ _ (three steps east)
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(four steps north)

To find the shortest distance, you need to find the diagonal.
You are given a and b. You need to find c.
A=4
B=3
4^2 + 3^2 = C^2
16 + 9 = C^2
25 = C^2
To get rid of the square and solve for only c, you will find the square root of 25, which is 5.

C= 5 (The shortest distance is 5 units.)
I hope this helps! :)