Was Pythagoras wrong?
- Author:
- Judah L Schwartz
- Topic:
- Functions
Two friends, Red & Green, lived 14 miles away from one another 'as the crow flies'.
Along the road Red had to travel 10 miles west and then 10 miles north for a total of 20 miles.
Red insisted that the distance from his house to Green's house was shorter if he traveled west, then north, then west again
and finally north.
Green claimed that Red was wrong. Red thought that perhaps he needed to turn more frequently.
Drag the slider and see what happens as Red turns more and more frequently.
It is clear that the path Red was taking was getting ever closer to the path the crow takes - but was it getting shorter?