Question

A glider flies 13 miles north from the airport and then 24 miles diagonally southeast. Approximately how far west does the glider have to fly to return to the airport?

Answer 1

Answer:

20.2 miles

Step-by-step explanation:

This can be described by the three sides of a right angled triangle. Let the distance of the glider to the airport be represented by x, applying the Pythagoras theorem:

$/hyp/^{2}$ = $/adj1/^{2}$ + $/adj2/^{2}$

$/24/^{2}$ = $/x/^{2}$ + $/13/^{2}$

576 = $x^{2}$ + 169

$x^{2}$ = 576 - 169

   = 407

x = $\sqrt{407}$

  = 20.1742

x = 20.2 miles

The glider has to fly 20.2 miles to return to the airport.