Question

A balloon is released and flies straight up for 120 feet, and then the wind blows it east for 280 feet. Find the distance between the balloon and the site where it was released. Decimal rounded one place.

Answer 1

Given that the vertical and east direction are perpedicular paths, you can construct a right triangle with 120 feet and 280 feet as the legs.

The distance between the balloon and the site where it was released will be the hypotenuse of such triangle, so you can use Pythagorean theorem to find the distance.

c^2 = (120ft)^2 + (280ft)^2 = 78400 ft^2

=> c = √ (78400 ft^2) = 280 ft

Answer: 280 ft