Question

To get from point A to point B you must avoid walking through a pond. To avoid the pond, you must walk 34 meters south and 41 meters east. To the nearest meter, how many meters would be saved if it were possible to walk through the pond?

Answer 1

Answer: 22

Explanation:

Answer 2

If point 'B' is south and east of point 'A', then you have a right triangle.
The legs are the 34 meters south and the 41 meters east.
The hypotenuse is the straight line if the pond wasn't there.

Walking south and then east, you have to walk (34 + 41) = 75 meters.

The hypotenuse would be

square root of [ 34² + 41² ] =

square root of [ 1,156 + 1,681 ] =

square root of [ 2,837 ] = 53.26 meters.

That would save you (75 - 53.26) = 21.74 meters .

Rounded to the nearest meter: 22 meters .

If not for the durn pond, your walk would be
about 29% shorter. That's a lot.