Question

Jimmy ran 5 meters west from home and then turned north to jog 12 meters. Jimmy ran 17 meters, but could have arrived at the same point by jogging

in a straight line. How many meters could he have jogged using a straight line distance?

3.5 meters
7 meters
13 meters
15 meters

Answer 1

13 meters

Explanation:

The 5 m and 12 m he jogged are the legs of a right triangle. The shorter distance in a straight line is the hypotenuse of the right triangle. We can use the Pythagorean theorem to find the straight line distance.

a² + b² = c²

5² + 12² = c²

25 + 144 = c²

c² = 169

c = √169

c = 13

Answer: 13 meters