Question

Suppose you leave your house and travel 13 mi due west. then you travel 3 mi due south. how far are you from your house?

Answer 1

≈ 13.3 miles

Explanation:

a line due west and a line due south form a right triangle with the hypotenuse being the direct distance x from the house.

using Pythagoras' identity in the right triangle , then

x² = 13² + 3² = 169 + 9 = 178 ( take square root of both sides )

x =
`√(178)` ≈ 13.3

distance from house ≈ 13.3 miles ( to the nearest tenth )

Answer 2

13.34 mi

from question,

perpendicular (p) = 3mi

base(b) = 13 mi

hypotenuse (h) = ?

from Pythagoras theorem,

h^2 = p^2 + b^2

h = √(3^2 + 13^2)

h = √(9+169)

h= √(178)

h= 13.34 mi