Word problem algebra

Question

Kwan left the photo lab and rode his bike 3 miles east to make a delivery.he turned south and rode 4 miles before making another delivery.if he rides in a straight line back to the lab,how far will he ride?

Answer 1

Kwan left the photo lab and rode his bike 3 miles east to make a delivery.he turned south and rode 4 miles before making another delivery.if he rides in a straight line back to the lab,how far will he ride?

 

Photo Lab(P) is the upper right. Make the triangle, 3 east(left), then 4 south(down). The path back in a straight line is the hypotenuse of the right triangle. By the Pythagorean triple the distance back is5 miles.

Answer 2

Hi Mike!

This is a nice problem to visualize before you try it. So, if east is to the right like on a map, then south would be down from there. Try drawing it on a paper, no need to measure it out to do the problem. Now draw a line "back to the lab". You should have drawn a right triangle. To find the longest side of a right triangle (the hypotenuse), you can use the Pythagorean Theorem, which is a² +b² = c².  c is the hypotenuse... in this case the distance you're looking for.

 

So,  3² +4² =c²    or     3x3 + 4x4 = 9 + 16 = 25    What squared equals 25??      5 miles should be your answer!