Anita hikes 7 miles east and then 3 miles north. Rounded to the nearest mile, what is the shortest distance from the starting point to the ending point?

Answer 1

Using the Pythagorean theorem, the shortest distance from the starting point to the ending point can be calculated as follows:

7^2 + 3^2 = c^2
49 + 9 = c^2
58 = c^2
c ≈ √58
c ≈ 7.6

Rounded to the nearest mile, the shortest distance is 8 miles.