How many miles apart are they at the end of their walks rounded to the nearest tenth of a mile?

Question

Benito and Tamika start at the same point. Benito walks 1.5 miles north in a straight path. Tamika walks 2 miles east in a straight path. How many miles apart are they at the end of their walks rounded to the nearest tenth of a mile?

Answer 1

1.5 north, 2 east

construct a right triangle and calculate the hypotenuse

h^2 = 1.5^2 +2^2 = 2.25+4 = 6.25

h = sqr6.25 = 2.5 miles apart,

if they walk at the same speed

or at any speed if they both stop at their respective distances

no matter how long it took them to get there

hypotenuse squared = sum of squares of the other two sides

h = sqr(2.25 +4) = 2.5 = 2 1/2 miles apart