On a drive-thru Allegheny county Natalie drove due West for 9 mi then turn left and proceeded to drive due south after traveling 12 mi South what was this straight line distance between where Natalie started and where she ended her drive

Answer 1

To find the straight-line distance between where Natalie started and where she ended her drive, we can use the Pythagorean theorem.

Let's calculate the distances traveled in the East-West and North-South directions:

Distance traveled in the East-West direction = 9 mi

Distance traveled in the North-South direction = 12 mi

Using these values, we can create a right triangle where the East-West distance is the base of the triangle and the North-South distance is the height.

According to the Pythagorean theorem, the square of the hypotenuse (straight-line distance) is equal to the sum of the squares of the other two sides.

So, applying the theorem:

Straight-line distance^2 = (9 mi)^2 + (12 mi)^2
= 81 mi^2 + 144 mi^2
= 225 mi^2

Taking the square root of both sides, we find:

Straight-line distance = √225 mi^2
= 15 mi

Therefore, the straight-line distance between where Natalie started and where she ended her drive is 15 miles.