Question

A pilot is taxiing down a runway. He travels due west 300 yd, and then due south 500 yd. How much shorter would his taxiing be if he could travel directly southwest ( diagonally )

I’m stuck on this and any help would be appreciated . Thanks

Answer 1

You are looking at a right triangle
a = 300
b = 500
c = hypotenuse = sqrt (a^2 + b^2)
3^2 = 9
5^2 = 25
so sqrt (34) = 5.83
c = 583
we want (300 + 500) - 583