Question

The bases on a playground baseball diamond form a square, 60ft on a side. How far would a catcher standing n home plate need to throw the ball to get a runner out at second base?

Answer 1

`84.85 feet`

Explanation:

The line from home plate to second base forms the hypotenuse of right triangle. The two sides of the triangle are each `60 feet`. Using the Pythagorean theorem, we can find the length of the hypotenuse:

`60^2 + 60^2 = c^2`

= `3600 + 3600 = c^2`

= `7200 = c^2`

`sqrt7200 = 84.85`

Therefore, the distance that the catcher will need to throw the ball to get a runner out at second base is `84.85 feet`.