Please help with this question!

Question

a. In a baseball game, a batter hits a ball to the center field fence, a distance of 400 ft from home plate. The center fielder throws the ball to third and robs the triple. How far is the center fielder from third base? On a baseball diamond, the base lines are 90 feet. Show or explain all your work.

b. Later in the same game, the center fielder makes a 250 ft throw to third base. How far was the ball hit? Show or explain all your work.

Answer 1

If you assume (although you know what assume does!) the ball is hit to "dead" center, then the distance in which you are interested is the side of an obtuse triangle and it can be found easily and directly using the law of cosines.