A surfer drives his dune buggy out into the sand dunes. He follows his compass 10 miles due north and then turns due west. if he ends up approximately 35 miles from where he started, how far west did he travel?
A. 10 miles
B. 25 miles
C. 33.5 miles
D. 35 miles
B. 25 miles
To solve this problem, we can use the Pythagorean theorem.
The distance traveled due north is 10 miles and the distance traveled due west is x miles. The hypotenuse of the right triangle formed by these two legs is 35 miles.
Using the Pythagorean theorem:
(10^2) + (x^2) = 35^2
100 + x^2 = 1225
x^2 = 1125
x = √1125
x ≈ 33.5 miles
Therefore, the surfer traveled approximately 33.5 miles due west.