Question

A turtle starts moving north at
4 feet per minute from a point P.
Five minutes later,
a snail starts moving south at 2 feet per minute from a point 50 feet due east of P.

What is the distance
(in feet) between the two animals five minutes after the snail starts moving?

Answer 1

After t minutes, the positions are (if P=(0,0))

turtle: (0,4t)
snail: (50,-2t)

So, the distance d can be found from

d^2 = 50^2 + (6t)^2