eric can walk 3 miles turn and walk 1 more mile, or he can swim across the lake. he swims 2 miles per hour and walks 4 miles per hour.

Question

Which option is quicker and how many minutes quicker?

Answer 1

I have to assume here that the turn is 90 degrees.

 

If he walks:

 

3 miles + 1 mile = 4 miles

 

4 miles divided by 4 miles per hour = 1 hour

 

If he swims:

 

You must use the Pythagorean theorem to find the distance of the hypotenuse.

 

a² + b² = c²

 

3² + 1² = c²

 

9 + 1 = c²

 

√10 = c²

 

3.16 miles = c

 

so the distance he will have to swim is 3.16 miles.

 

he swims 2 miles per hour, so

 

3.16 divided by 2 miles per hour = 1.58 hours = ~95 minutes

 

He could walk in 60 minutes. So walking would be faster by ~35 minutes.