Question

6 a helicopter rises vertically 3 kilometers and then flies due west 4 kilometers. how many kilometers is the helicopter from its starting point? write your answer in the space provided. km

Explanation:

Step1: Apply Pythagorean theorem

Let the vertical rise be \(a = 3\) km and the west - ward flight be \(b=4\) km. The distance \(d\) from the starting point is the hypotenuse of a right - triangle. By the Pythagorean theorem \(d=\sqrt{a^{2}+b^{2}}\).

Step2: Substitute values

Substitute \(a = 3\) and \(b = 4\) into the formula: \(d=\sqrt{3^{2}+4^{2}}=\sqrt{9 + 16}\).

Step3: Calculate

\(\sqrt{9+16}=\sqrt{25}=5\).

Answer:

\(5\)