document.write( "Question 388157: mary travels 7 miles north and 12 miles west. what is the diagonal distance from her starting point to where she stopped? \n" ); document.write( "
Algebra.Com's Answer #274481 by aggie_tutor(13)\"\" \"About 
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This is a \"right triangle\" problem solved using pythagorean theorem.
\n" ); document.write( "The theorem is:
\n" ); document.write( "\"a%5E2+%2B+b%5E2+=+c%5E2\"\r
\n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "Where a and b are lengths of the two shorter sides of a right triangle, and c is the length of that triangle's longest side.\r
\n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "We know this is a right triangle because the problem statement says so. The only shape that going north (think going up the Y axis of a chart) followed by going west (think going down the X axis in the negative direction) could be is a right triangle, and the two distances mark the two shorter sides of the triangle:\r
\n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "g<------12------^
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\n" ); document.write( " 7
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\n" ); document.write( " h\r
\n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "So if the trip starts at h and ends at g, the length of g->h is the longest side of this triangle, i.e. c.
\n" ); document.write( "a = 7
\n" ); document.write( "b = 12
\n" ); document.write( "\"a%5E2+=+7%5E2+=+49\"
\n" ); document.write( "\"b%5E2+=+12%5E2+=+144\"
\n" ); document.write( "\"49+%2B+144+=+193+=+c%5E2\"
\n" ); document.write( "\"c+=+sqrt%28193%29\" which is about 13.89 miles.
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