Question

Alicia rides her bike 4 miles due north and 3 miles due west to a playground. what is the shortest distance to alicia's home from the playground? 5 mi 5 mi 7 mi 7 mi 12 mi 12 mi 25 mi

Answer 1

5 mi

Explanation:

See attached figure for graphical view

Since Alicia travels 4 mi north and then 3 miles west, the corners of her home and playground can be viewed as points on a right triangle.

The shortest distance (as the crow flies) is the hypotenuse of the right triangle

This can be calculated using the Pythagorean formula

`d = √(4^2 + 3^2) = √(16+9) = √(25) = 5 \text{ mi}`