The Plaza Mayor is a rectangular public space in Madrid. The Plaza Mayor measures 124 meters from east to west and 94 meters from north to south. Which of the following best approximates the shortest distance, in meters, between the northeast corner and the southwest corner of Plaza Mayor? Choose 1 answer: (A) 109 (B) 124 (C) 156 (D) 218

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Use Pythagorean Theorem: To find the shortest distance between the northeast corner and the southwest corner of the Plaza Mayor, we need to use the Pythagorean theorem. This theorem states that in a right-angled triangle, the square of the length of the hypotenuse (the side opposite the right angle) is equal to the sum of the squares of the lengths of the other two sides. The northeast and southwest corners are diagonally opposite each other, so we can treat the length and width of the Plaza Mayor as the two sides of a right-angled triangle, and the distance we want to find as the hypotenuse.Denote Length and Width: Let's denote the length of the Plaza Mayor (east to west) as 'a' and the width (north to south) as 'b'. According to the Pythagorean theorem, the shortest distance 'd' (the hypotenuse) can be calculated using the formula: d = √(a^2 + b^2)Substitute Given Values: Substitute the given values into the formula: a = 124 meters b = 94 meters d = √(124^2 + 94^2)Calculate Squares: Now, calculate the squares of 'a' and 'b': 124^2 = 15,376 94^2 = 8,836Add Squares: Add the squares of 'a' and 'b' to find the square of 'd': 15,376 + 8,836 = 24,212Find Square Root: Take the square root of 24,212 to find the value of 'd': d = √24,212 d ≈ 155.6Compare with Options: The result is approximately 155.6 meters, which we need to compare with the given options to find the best approximation. The closest option to 155.6 meters is (C) 156 meters.

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