Question

Reagan is playing hide-and-seek with Bob and Ellen. Bob is hiding 8.2 meters south of Reagan, and Ellen is hiding 4.1 meters east of Bob. How far apart are Reagan and Ellen?

Answer 1

To find the distance between Reagan and Ellen, we can use the Pythagorean theorem. Reagan is 8.2 meters south of Bob, and Ellen is 4.1 meters east of Bob. This forms a right triangle with Reagan, Bob, and Ellen as the vertices. The length of the hypotenuse, which represents the distance between Reagan and Ellen, is approximately 9.17 meters.

Step-by-step explanation:

To find the distance between Reagan and Ellen, we can use the Pythagorean theorem. Reagan is 8.2 meters south of Bob, and Ellen is 4.1 meters east of Bob. This forms a right triangle with Reagan, Bob, and Ellen as the vertices. The length of the hypotenuse, which represents the distance between Reagan and Ellen, can be found using the formula c^2 = a^2 + b^2, where a and b are the lengths of the two legs of the triangle.

Given: a = 8.2 meters (south leg) and b = 4.1 meters (east leg)

Using the Pythagorean theorem, we have c^2 = 8.2^2 + 4.1^2

c^2 = 67.24 + 16.81

c^2 = 84.05

Taking the square root of both sides, we find that c ≈ 9.17 meters.

Therefore, Reagan and Ellen are approximately 9.17 meters apart.