Jimmy ran 40 meters west from home and then turned north to jog 15 meters. Jimmy ran 55 meters, but could have arrived at the same point by jogging in a straight line. How many meters could he have jogged using a straight line distance?

Answer 1

This can be solved using the Pythagorean theorem, a^2 + b^2 = c^2, where a and b are the distances Jimmy ran and c is the straight line distance.

Let a = 40 meters (west) and b = 15 meters (north).
Substitute these values into the Pythagorean theorem:
40^2 + 15^2 = c^2
1600 + 225 = c^2
1825 = c^2
c = √1825
c ≈ 42.72

Therefore, Jimmy could have jogged approximately 42.72 meters using a straight line distance.