Question

A boat heads north at 30 mph while a steamer heads east at 40 mph at the same time. When is the distance between them 50 mi?

Answer 1

let t = time (hrs) that they are 50 mi apart

Use pythag here; a^2 + b^2 = c^2; dist = speed * time

(30t)^2 (40t)^2 = 50^2

900t^2 + 1600t^2 = 2500

It's obvious that t = 1 hr