Problem:
Bill walks mile south, then mile east, and finally mile south. How many miles is he, in a direct line, from his starting point?
Answer Choices:
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
Solution:
The diagram on the left shows the path of Bill's walk. As the diagram on the right illustrates, he could also have walked from to by first walking mile south then mile east.
By the Pythagorean Theorem,
so .
Answer: .
The problems on this page are the property of the MAA's American Mathematics Competitions