Question

Stanley, the skunk, is traveling from point A to point B by taking a shortcut through the pond.A path that avoids the pond is 25 feet south and 28 feet east.To the nearest tenth of a foot, how many feet will Stanley save by going through the pond instead of following the path?

Answer 1

Stanley the skunk will save about 15.5 feet.

This problem can be solve with the Pythagorean Theorem. The possible paths that Stanley can take make a right triangle. The legs of the triangle are 25 and 28, and the hypotenuse would be 37.5.

If Stanley went the long way, he would travel 25 + 28 = 53 feet. Taking the short way (hypotenuse) is 53 - 37.5 = 15.5 feet shorter.