Question

a flying squirrel lives in a nest that is 9.6 meters up in a tree, but wants to eat an acorn that is on the ground 2.7 meters away from the base of her tree. if the flying squirrel glides from her nest to the acorn, then scurries back to the base of the tree, and then climbs back up the tree to her nest, how far will the flying squirrel travel in total? if necessary, round to the nearest tenth. meters

Explanation:

Step1: Calculate glide distance (Pythagoras)

The glide path is the hypotenuse of a right triangle with legs 9.6 m and 2.7 m.
$$d_{glide} = \sqrt{9.6^2 + 2.7^2} = \sqrt{92.16 + 7.29} = \sqrt{99.45} \approx 9.97 \text{ meters}$$

Step2: Sum all travel segments

Add glide distance, ground distance, and climb distance.
$$d_{total} = 9.97 + 2.7 + 9.6$$

Answer:

22.3 meters