Question

every weekday, mr. jones bikes from his home to his job. sometimes he rides along two roads, the long route that is shown by the solid lines. other times, he takes the shortcut shown by the dashed line.

how many fewer kilometers does mr. jones bike when he takes the shortcut instead of the long route?

6 kilometers
8 kilometers
23 kilometers
32 kilometers

Explanation:

Calculate the missing side length a

$$
LATEXBLOCK0
$$

Calculate the distance of the long route

$$ \text{Long Route} = a + 15 = 8 + 15 = 23\text{ km} $$

Find the difference between the routes

$$ \text{Difference} = 23 - 17 = 6\text{ km} $$

Answer:

• (A) 6 kilometers (Correct answer)
• (B) 8 kilometers
• (C) 23 kilometers
• (D) 32 kilometers