In Oxford, the library is 8 miles due south of the courthouse and 5 miles due west of the community swimming pool. What is the distance between the courthouse and the community swimming pool? If necessary, round to the nearest tenth.

(Pythagorean theorem)

1 answer

To find the distance between the courthouse and the community swimming pool, we can use the Pythagorean theorem since the distances form a right triangle.

Let's assume the courthouse is at point A, the library is at point B, and the community swimming pool is at point C.

We know that:
The distance between A and B (AB) is 8 miles (south).
The distance between B and C (BC) is 5 miles (west).

To find the distance between A and C (AC), we use the Pythagorean theorem:

AC^2 = AB^2 + BC^2
AC^2 = 8^2 + 5^2
AC^2 = 64 + 25
AC^2 = 89

AC = sqrt(89)
AC ≈ 9.4 miles

Therefore, the distance between the courthouse and the community swimming pool is approximately 9.4 miles.