Question

Two friends leave school at the same time, Sarah is heading due north and Beth is heading due east. One hour later they are 5 miles apart. If Sarah had traveled 4 miles from the school, how many miles had Beth traveled?

A.
3 miles
B.
1 mile
C.
4 miles
D.
2 miles

Answer 1

Use Pythagorean theorem

• P²=H²-B²
• P²=5²-4²
• P²=25-16
• P²=9
• P=3mi

Answer 2

• A. 3 miles

Explanation:

The distance between the friends is the hypotenuse of the right triangle.

Use Pythagorean to find the missing side x:

• x² + 4² = 5²
• x² + 16 = 25
• x² = 9
• x = √9
• x = 3 miles