Question

Joe and Max shake hands and say goodbye. Joe walks east 0.50 km to a coffee shop, and Max flags a cab and rides north 3.45 km to a bookstore. How far apart are their destinations?

Answer 1

Answer:

3.486 km

Explanation:

Suppose Joe and Max's directions are perfectly perpendicular (east vs north). We can calculate their distance at the destinations using Pythagorean theorem:

$s = \sqrt{J^2 + M^2}$

where J = 0.5 km and M= 3.45 km are the distances between Joe and Max to their original parting point, respectively. s is the distance between them.

$s = \sqrt{0.5^2 + 3.45^2} = \sqrt{12.1525} = 3.486 km$