Question

question
you start driving east for 5 miles, turn left, and drive north for another 12 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: Recognize right - triangle

The east - west and north - south directions form a right - triangle. The two legs of the right - triangle are $a = 5$ miles and $b=12$ 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 $a = 5$ and $b = 12$ into the formula: $c=\sqrt{5^{2}+12^{2}}=\sqrt{25 + 144}=\sqrt{169}$.

Step3: Calculate the value of $c$

$\sqrt{169}=13$.

Answer:

$13.0$ miles