Question

Starting at point X, a girl runs 80 m south to point Y, and then 60 m west to Z. Determine: (a) the distance she ran from X to Z.

Answer 1

The girl ran a total distance of 100 meters from point X to point Z by using the Pythagorean theorem to calculate the hypotenuse of a right-angled triangle formed by her running path.

Step-by-step explanation:

The question involves calculating the total distance a girl ran from point X to point Z via point Y. She runs 80 m south from X to Y and then 60 m west to Z. To find the distance she ran from X to Z, we can use the Pythagorean theorem because the path from X to Y and Y to Z forms a right-angled triangle. The distance from X to Z is the hypotenuse of this triangle, and it can be calculated as follows:

√(80 m)² + (60 m)² = √(6400 m² + 3600 m²) = √10000 m² = 100 m

Therefore, the distance the girl ran from X to Z is 100 meters.