Question

Charles road his bike due west 17 miles, then turned due south and rode another 13 miles. About how far was he from his starting point?

a
17.5 mi
b
21.4 mi
c
13.6 mi
d
10.9 mi

Answer 1

21.4 miles (Answer A)

Explanation:

17 miles west and then 13 miles south can be represented by a triangle whose leg lengths are 17 miles and 13 miles respectively. We use the Pythagorean Theorem to find the length of the hypotenuse of this triangle; the hypotenuse length is the straight line distance between starting and end points:

d = √(13² + 17²) miles, or d = 21.4 miles