2005 AMC 8 Problems/Problem 7

Problem

Bill walks $\tfrac12$ mile south, then $\tfrac34$ mile east, and finally $\tfrac12$ mile south. How many miles is he, in a direct line, from his starting point?

$\textbf{(A)}\ 1\qquad\textbf{(B)}\ 1\tfrac14\qquad\textbf{(C)}\ 1\tfrac12\qquad\textbf{(D)}\ 1\tfrac34\qquad\textbf{(E)}\ 2$

Solution

We have a right-angle triangle with sides 3/4 and 1. We can divide the simple pythagorean theorem identity 3,4,5 by 4 to get 3/4, 1, 5/4. This shows us the answer is B, or 1 1/4.

See Also

2005 AMC 8 (ProblemsAnswer KeyResources)
Preceded by
Problem 6
Followed by
Problem 8
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25
All AJHSME/AMC 8 Problems and Solutions

The problems on this page are copyrighted by the Mathematical Association of America's American Mathematics Competitions. AMC logo.png