Jason wants to walk the shortest distance to get from the parking lot to the beach. a.how far is the spot on the beach from the parking lot? b. how far will he have to walk from the parking lot to get to the refreshment stand?

3 RIGHT TRIANGLES

1 big right triangle is divided into 2 smaller ones. Medium and small.

Medium triangle: long leg = 32 m ; short leg = x

Small triangle: long leg = x ; short leg = 18m

32/x = x/18

32*18 = x*x

576 = x²

√576 = √x²

24 = x    

Parking lot to the beach is 24 meters.

Use Pythagorean theorem:

Medium triangle: long leg = 32 m ; short leg = 24 m ; hypotenuse = ?

32²+ 24² = c²

1024 + 576 = c²

1600 = c²

√1600 = √c²

40 m = c

Parking lot to refreshment stand is 40 meters.