Question

you start driving west for 3 miles, turn right, and drive north for another 11 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 west - east and north - south directions form a right - triangle. The two legs of the right - triangle are $a = 3$ miles and $b=11$ 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 $a = 3$ and $b = 11$ into the formula: $c=\sqrt{3^{2}+11^{2}}=\sqrt{9 + 121}=\sqrt{130}$.

Step3: Calculate and round

$\sqrt{130}\approx11.4$ miles.

Answer:

$11.4$ miles