Two joggers run 8 miles north and then 5 miles west. What is the shortest distance they must travel to return to their starting point?
Draw a picture:
Solve:
To find the shortest distance they must travel to return to their starting point, we can create a right triangle using the 8 miles north and 5 miles west as the legs of the triangle.
Using the Pythagorean theorem, we can calculate the hypotenuse:
c^2 = a^2 + b^2
c^2 = 8^2 + 5^2
c^2 = 64 + 25
c^2 = 89
c ≈ √89
c ≈ 9.43 miles
Therefore, the shortest distance they must travel to return to their starting point is approximately 9.43 miles.