Given:
The objective is to find the shortest distance between house and library.
Consider the given triangle as,
Here, A represents the house, B the grocery and C the library.
Since it is a right angled triangle, the distance between the house and the library can be calculated using Pythagoras theorem.
[tex]\text{Hypotenuse}^2=Opposite^2+Adjacent^2[/tex]
Apply the given values in the above formula,
[tex]\begin{gathered} AC^2=17^2+0.9^2 \\ AC^2=289+8.1 \\ AC^2=297.1 \\ AC=\sqrt[]{297.1} \\ AC=17.237\text{ miles} \end{gathered}[/tex]
If Natasha walks through Grocery store,
[tex]\begin{gathered} AC^{\prime}=AB+BC \\ AC^{\prime}=0.9+17 \\ AC^{\prime}=17.9\text{ miles} \end{gathered}[/tex]
By comparing the two ways, ACHence, the hypotenuse distance AC, between house and library is the closest distance.
