Question

John is going to the store. His house is located 3 miles south and 4 miles east from the store, as shown below. What is the shortest distance from his house to the store? Explain

Answer 1

5 miles

Explanation:

It is a right triangle, with 3 miles down, and 4 miles to the right

the shortest distance would be and southeast line.

Using the Pythagorean theorem, you get:

3^2 + 4^2 = x^2

9 + 16 = x^2

25 = x^2

x = 5