If 2 cars are on the same road facing in the opposite direction (one facing east one facing west) and they drive away from each other at the same speed for 6 miles. They both make left turns and drive for 8 miles. How far are they apart from each other?
2006-09-18 04:23:23 · 5 answers · asked by The Plumber 3 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Physics
Twenty miles, which is the sum of the two diagonals of the triangles the two cars made by the directions they traveled.
Each car carved out a right triangle oriented as mirror images of each other. And each triangle is similar to a 3,4,5 triangle. The 5 is the hypoteneuse length of the similar triangle.
In your problem the 5 in the similar triangle corresponds to 10 miles because your triangles are simply twice the size of the 3,4,5 triangle. thus, the two cars are two hypoteneuses away from each other (i.e., 2 X 10 miles = 20 miles).
2006-09-18 04:32:53 · answer #1 · answered by oldprof 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Use the pythagorean theorum......If the cars are going 6 miles then 8 miles you are given point a & b and what you need is C.....So it is 36 + 64 = 100....take square root of 100 and you get 10....So now the cars are 10 miles away from point of origin and 20 miles from each other.
2006-09-18 11:33:01 · answer #2 · answered by jharri85 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋
We draw the triangles. We find there are two right angled triangles with sides 6and 8 miles(third side 10 miles) The dist apart is obtained when we sum up both the hypotenuse.10+10=20 miles
2006-09-18 12:13:19 · answer #3 · answered by openpsychy 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
they travel 6 miles each first so they are 12 miles far away now they take left and travel so they travel 8 miles each so .............. according to pythogras theoren the answer is square root of 256+144=square root of 400=20
THE ANSWER IS 20
2006-09-18 11:26:06 · answer #4 · answered by Sai♥Pranav 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
use the 6 8 10 system that a carpenter uses to check squareness
2006-09-18 11:36:00 · answer #5 · answered by gussie r 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋