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smc

geometry senior

Problem

A cowboy is 4 miles south of a stream which flows due east. He is also 8 miles west and 7 miles north of his cabin. He wishes to water his horse at the stream and return home. The shortest distance (in miles) he can travel and accomplish this is
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
Solution
First, you draw a reflection of the cowboy across the river. Then, you draw the straight line from the "cowboy" to his cabin. This will be a Pythagorean triple, so the answer is , which is .
Final answer
C