suppose your school is located 1.2 miles south of your home. the mall is located 3.2 miles west of the school. what is the shortes distance between your home and the mall? round to the nearest hundreth.

use Pythagorean theorem:

a^2 + b^2 = c^2

a=1.2

b=3.2

c=x?

plug in:

1.2^2+3.2^2=x^2

1.44+10.24=x^2

add:

11.68=x^2

sqrt. the equation:

sqrt 11.68=x^2

if the sqrt. of 11.68 is 3.4176015, rounded to the nearest hundredth is, 3.42, then c (aka x in my usage) must equal about 3.42.

Hence, the shortest distance between your home and the mall is 3.42 miles.