Jimmy ran 3 miles west from home and then turned north and jogged 4 miles. In a straight line, how far is Jimmy from home?
A 3.5 miles
B 4 miles
C 5 miles
D 7 miles
E 17 miles
Calculating Jimmy’s Distance from Home
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The correct answer is C, 5 miles.
To find out how far Jimmy is from home, we can use the Pythagorean theorem. He ran 3 miles west and then 4 miles north, which creates a right triangle.
In the triangle, one leg is 3 miles (west) and the other leg is 4 miles (north). According to the Pythagorean theorem:
[ c^2 = a^2 + b^2 ]
where ( c ) is the hypotenuse (the straight line distance from home), ( a ) is 3 miles, and ( b ) is 4 miles.
So,
[ c^2 = 3^2 + 4^2 ]
[ c^2 = 9 + 16 ]
[ c^2 = 25 ]
[ c = sqrt{25} ]
[ c = 5 ]
Thus, Jimmy is 5 miles away from home.