Question

A boat departs Port Isabelle, Texas, traveling to an oil rig. The oil rig is located 9 miles east and 12 miles north of the boat’s departure point. About how many miles is the oil rig from the departure point?

F. 3
G. square root of 63
H. 15
J. 21
K. 225

Answer 1

if this is drawn out then the distance and the 9 miles east and 12miles north make a right-angled triangle. We can then use pythagoras' theorem. a^2+b^2=c^2 so 9^2+12^2=hypoteneuse^2
so 81+144=h^2
h^2=225
h=15
so the distance is 15km

Answer 2

If the Earth were a flat surface, then 9 miles east and 12 miles north would be
the basis of a right triangle, and the straight-line route would be the hypotenuse.
We could use the Pythagorean Theorem to find the straight-line distance.

A² + B² = C²

C² = (9)² + (12)²

C² = 81 + 144

C² = 225

C = √225 = 15 miles

That's Choice-'H'.