How far is she from her starting point?

Math Central

Quandaries & Queries

Question from Nancy, a parent:

A child runs due east for 23.5m and then she runs 10.5m due south. How far is she from her starting point?

Hi Nancy.

Let me draw this as a diagram:

triangle

This is a right triangle, so you can use Pythagoras' Theorem to solve it:

x² = 23.5² + 10.5²

Solve for x.

Cheers,
Stephen La Rocque.

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