Stanley, the skunk, is traveling from point A to point B by taking a shortcut through the pond.A path that avoids the pond is 25 feet south and 28 feet east.To the nearest tenth of a foot, how many feet will Stanley save by going through the pond instead of following the path?
This problem can be solve with the Pythagorean Theorem. The possible paths that Stanley can take make a right triangle. The legs of the triangle are 25 and 28, and the hypotenuse would be 37.5.
If Stanley went the long way, he would travel 25 + 28 = 53 feet. Taking the short way (hypotenuse) is 53 - 37.5 = 15.5 feet shorter.
