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You can put this solution on YOUR website!
Two cars left the intersection @ the same time.
\n" ); document.write( " One traveled west and the other traveled 14 miles less but south.
\n" ); document.write( " How far apart were they @ the time if the distance between them was 16 miles more than the distance traveled south?
\n" ); document.write( ":
\n" ); document.write( "let a = distance traveled by the south bound car
\n" ); document.write( "then
\n" ); document.write( "(a+14) = distance traveled by the west bound
\n" ); document.write( "and
\n" ); document.write( "(a+16) = distance between them at a certain time
\n" ); document.write( ":
\n" ); document.write( "This is a pythag problem a^2 + b^2 = c^2, where
\n" ); document.write( "a = a
\n" ); document.write( "b = (a+14)
\n" ); document.write( "c = (a+16)
\n" ); document.write( ":
\n" ); document.write( "a^2 + (a+14)^2 = (a+16)^2
\n" ); document.write( "FOIL
\n" ); document.write( "a^2 + a^2 + 28a + 196 = a^2 + 32a + 256
\n" ); document.write( "Collect like terms on the left
\n" ); document.write( "a^2 + a^2 - a^2 + 28a - 32a + 196 - 256 = 0
\n" ); document.write( "do the math
\n" ); document.write( "a^2 - 4a - 60 = 0
\n" ); document.write( "Factors to
\n" ); document.write( "(a- - 10)(a + 6) = 0
\n" ); document.write( "the positive solution is all we want here
\n" ); document.write( "a = 10
\n" ); document.write( "therefore the distance between them
\n" ); document.write( "10 + 16 = 26 miles
\n" ); document.write( ":
\n" ); document.write( ";
\n" ); document.write( "Check this on your calc, enter