Question

Alpha drives 8 km to the north and 15 km to the east. Find the distance between the starting point and the terminating point

• A. 16 km
• B. 17 km
• C. 27 km
• D. 23 km

Answer 1

The correct option is B

17 km

Let the distance between the starting point and the terminating point be $x$

Hence we have $x^2=8^2+{15}^2$ ( using pythagoras theorem )

$x^2=64+225$

$x^2=289$

$x=\sqrt{289}$

$x=17km$

Hence the distance between the starting point and the terminating point is 17 km