Question

you start driving east for 18 miles, turn right, and drive south for another 5 miles. at the end of driving, what is your straight line distance from your starting point? round to the nearest tenth of a mile.

Explanation:

Step1: Identify right - triangle sides

The east - west and south - north displacements form a right - triangle. The two legs of the right - triangle are $a = 18$ miles and $b = 5$ miles.

Step2: Apply Pythagorean theorem

The Pythagorean theorem is $c=\sqrt{a^{2}+b^{2}}$, where $c$ is the hypotenuse (the straight - line distance from the starting point). Substitute $a = 18$ and $b = 5$ into the formula: $c=\sqrt{18^{2}+5^{2}}=\sqrt{324 + 25}=\sqrt{349}$.

Step3: Calculate the value

$\sqrt{349}\approx18.7$ miles.

Answer:

$18.7$ miles