Question

Bryce intended to swim directly across a stream that is 99 meters wide. But the current caused him to arrive at the opposite shore 20 meters downstream. How far did Bryce actually swim from his starting point to the other side of the stream?

Answer 1

Answer:

101 meters

Step-by-step explanation:

The direct path across the stream and perpendicular to both sides of the stream is one leg of a right triangle. The 20 meter distance on the arriving side of the stream is another leg of the right triangle. The path he actually took is the hypotenuse of the right triangle.

leg 1 = 99 m

leg 2 = 20 m

hypotenuse = ?

We have a right triangle, and we know the lengths of the two legs. We need to find the length of the hypotenuse, so we can use the Pythagorean theorem.

a^2 + b^2 = c^2

99^2 + 20^2 = c^2

9801 + 400 = c^2

c^2 = 10201

c = sqrt(10201) = 101

Answer: 101 meters