Question

John was visiting three cities that lie on a coordinate grid at (-4, 5), (4, 5), and (-3, -4). If he visited all the cities and ended up where he started, what is the distance he traveled?Round your answer to the nearest tenth. (like 3.2 or 5.7)

Answer 1

Let's call the three points A (-4,5), B (4,5) and C (-3,-4). We have a triangle ABC and we need to calculate the perimeter. In other words AB+BC+CA. AB has length 4-(-4)=8. A and B have the same y value.

To find BC we use Pythagoras: BC^2=(5-(-4))^2+(4-(-3))^2=81+49=130. BC=sqrt(130).

To find AC: AC^2=(5-(-4))^2+(-3-(-4))^2=81+1=82. AC=sqrt(82).

Perimeter=8+sqrt(130)+sqrt(82)=28.5 approx.