Question

Ben and Susan are truck drivers who start at the same location. Ben drives 300 miles due west and Susan drives 160 miles due south. To the nearest mile, how far apart would they be?

Answer 1

Answer:

Ben and Susan will be 340 miles apart

Step by Step Solution

Step 1: We plot the problem on a graph to visualize the problem

Step 2: We notice that the problem creates a right triangle with the distance Ben and Susan travel as the legs of the right triangle

Step 3: We can use the Pythagorean Theorem: a²+b²=c² to solve the distance between Ben and Susan

Step 4: We enter the numbers into the formula

a² + b² = c²

300² + 160² = c²

90000 + 25600 = c²

115600 = c² *square root both sides

c = 340

Therefore Ben and Susan are 340 miles apart