SOLUTION: From a bike shop, Rama pedals due north while Sam rides due west. When Sam is 4 mi from the shop, the distance between her and Rama is two miles more than Rama’s distance from th

Algebra ->  Quadratic Equations and Parabolas  -> Quadratic Equations Lessons  -> Quadratic Equation Lesson -> SOLUTION: From a bike shop, Rama pedals due north while Sam rides due west. When Sam is 4 mi from the shop, the distance between her and Rama is two miles more than Rama’s distance from th      Log On


   

Question 1133899: From a bike shop, Rama pedals due north while Sam rides due west. When Sam is 4 mi from the shop, the distance between her and Rama is two miles more than Rama’s distance from the bike shop. Find the distance between Rama and Sam.
Answer by Boreal(15235) About Me  (Show Source):
You can put this solution on YOUR website!
x is the distance from R to the bike shop and one leg of a right triangle (draw this)
Sama is 4 miles away (another leg).
The hypotenuse of the right triangle is the distance between them of x+2 miles
so 4^2+x^2=(x+2)^2
or x^2+4x+4=x^2+16
4x=12
x=3 miles
the distance between them is x+2 or 5 miles (3-4-5 right triangle)