Joy is training for a triathlon. She runs a distance of 2x miles, cycles a distance of (x2 + 7) miles, and swims a distance of (x − 2) miles. Which simplified expression is equivalent to the total distance, in miles, Joy covers?

Answer 1

To find the total distance, we need to add up the distances for each activity:

Total distance = distance running + distance cycling + distance swimming

= 2x + (x^2 + 7) + (x - 2)

= x^2 + 3x + 5

Therefore, the simplified expression for the total distance is x^2 + 3x + 5 miles.