Ship A leaves port sailing north at a speed of 25 mph. A half hour later, ship B leaves the same port sailing east at a speed of 16 mph. Let t (in hours) denote the time ship B has been at sea. Find an expression in terms of t giving the distance between the two ships and use this expression to find the distance between the two ships 2 hours after ship A has left port. Round the answer to the nearest tenth.
A) 62.5 mi
B) 54.0 mi
C) 54.5 mi
D) 55.5 mi
E) 53.5 mi

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The distance between the ships can be found using the Pythagorean theorem. After 2 hours, ship A has traveled 50 miles north (25 mph * 2 hours), and ship B has traveled 24 miles east (16 mph * 1.5 hours). The distance is √(50² + 24²) = √(2500 + 576) = √3076 ≈ 55.5 miles.

Ship a Leaves Port Sailing North at a Speed of 25