Answer:
Mr. Jones take 6 km less when he goes by shortcut instead of the long route.
Explanation:
We shall use the pythagoras theorem here to solve.
a^2 + 15^2 =17^2
a^2+225=289
a^2=64
a=8
Since a =8, the long route distance is 8+15=23
The short route distance is 17 km
So, (23-17)=6 km.. So Mr. Jones take 6 km less when he goes by shortcut instead of the long route.