Question

Runners at a cross-country meet run 6 miles east and then 2 miles south from the starting line. Determine the shortest straight path they must run to get back to the starting line

√40 miles
√ 32miles
√8miles
8 miles

Answer 1

Answer is √40 miles

Step by step

The runner is running east then south, the diagonal would make this a right triangle with legs of 6 and 2, with an unknown hypotenuse or diagonal.

Pythagorean theorem says
a^2 + b^2 = c^2

2^2 + 6^2 = c^2
4 + 36 = c^2
40 = c^2

Take the square root of both sides to get your hypotenuse or diagonal path distance

√40 = c