To avoid a pond, Tom must walk 10 meters south and 24 meters east. To the nearest meter, how many meters would be saved if it were possible to walk through the pond?
10^2 + 24^2 = C^2
100 + 576 + C^2
C^2 = 676
C^2 = SQRT of 676 or 26 meters
Not sure how to solve. I thought this is the correct way.
The question asks how many meters would be saved.
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Your approach is correct, but there seems to be a calculation error. Let's go through the steps again to find the correct solution.
To determine the distance saved by walking directly through the pond, we need to find the hypotenuse of the right-angled triangle formed by Tom's detour around the pond.
First, we square the lengths of the two sides of the triangle, which are 10 meters and 24 meters:
(10^2) + (24^2) = C^2
Simplifying this equation:
100 + 576 = C^2
676 = C^2
To find C, the hypotenuse, we take the square root of both sides:
C = √676
C = 26 meters
Therefore, the length of the direct path through the pond is 26 meters. To determine the distance saved, we need to subtract the distance of the detour from the direct path:
Distance saved = Direct path - Detour
Distance saved = 26 meters - 24 meters
Distance saved = 2 meters
So, to the nearest meter, Tom would save approximately 2 meters by walking directly through the pond.