Question

A straight piece of wire 8feet long is bent into the shape of an L. What is the shortest possible distance between the ends?​

Answer 1

Answer:

The shortest possible distance between the ends is 4√2 feet.

Step-by-step explanation:

Given -

length of wire - 8 feet

bent in shape L

To find -

Shortest distance between the ends of the two sides of L

Solution -

Since we are bending it in shape of an L, if we join the two ends using another line,it would become a triangle.

We can achieve the shortest distance i.e. the shortest hypotenuse ( since it is a right angled triangle) by making the other 2 sides equal in length.

let both the sides be 8/2 feet = 4 feet long and name them A and B. And let the third side be C.

which gives us the below Pythagorean equation -

A² + B² = C²

4² + 4² = C²

16 + 16= C²

32= C²

therefore C= 4√2 feet which is the shortest distance.