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
The straight line distance from the starting point can be found using the Pythagorean theorem, which states that in a right triangle, the square of the hypotenuse is equal to the sum of the squares of the other two sides.
In this case, the 5 miles driven east and the 12 miles driven north form the two sides of a right triangle. Let's call the straight line distance from the starting point to the end point "d".
Using the Pythagorean theorem:
d^2 = 5^2 + 12^2
d^2 = 25 + 144
d^2 = 169
Taking the square root of both sides:
d = √169
d = 13 miles
Therefore, the straight line distance from the starting point to the end point is approximately 13 miles when rounded to the nearest tenth of a mile.