On a town map, each unit of the coordinate plane represents 1 mile. Three branches of a bank are located at A(−3, 1), B(1, 3), a
nd C(5, −1). A bank employee drives from Branch A to Branch B and then drives halfway to Branch C before getting stuck in traffic. What is the minimum total distance the employee may have driven before getting stuck in traffic? Round to the nearest tenth of a mile if necessary.
From A to B... distance formula : sqrt ((x2 - x1)^2 + (y2 - y1)^2 (-3,1)....x1 = -3 and y1 = 1 (1,3)....x2 = 1 and y2 = 3 sub d = sqrt ((1 - (-3)^2 + (3 - 1)^2 d = sqrt ((1 + 3)^2 + 2^2 d = sqrt (4^2 + 2^2) d = sqrt (16 + 4) d = sqrt 20 d = 4.47 miles...so from A to B, it was 4.47 miles
from B to C d = sqrt ((x2 - x1)^2 + (y2 - y1)^2 (1,3)....x1 = 1 and y1 = 3 (5,-1)...x2 = 5 and y2 = 1 sub d = sqrt ((5 - 1)^2 + (-1 - 3)^2 d = sqrt ((4^2 + (-4^2) d = sqrt (16 + 16) d = sqrt 32 d = 5.66......but keep in mind, he only drove half-way...so 5.66/2 = 2.83 miles
