Question

How much shorter is to walk diagonally across a rectangular field that is 24cm long and 18cm width than along two of its adjacent sides.

Answer 1

Walking along two of its adjacent sides: 24 + 18 = 42cm

Draw the diagonal (to form two triangles). Find the hypotenuse of one of the triangles to find the diagonal. Use pythagoras theorem:

c = sqrt[a^2 + b^2]
= sqrt[24^2 + 18^2]
= 30cm

Therefore, it is 12cm shorter to walk diagonally across.

Answer 2

Thanks for the answer