Answer:
18+[tex]6\sqrt{5}[/tex]
Step-by-step explanation:
Since the helicopter flies east for six miles and north for 12 miles, it flies 18 miles. Then on the way back, it flies an unknown amount of miles. the path the helicopter takes is in the form of a triangle, and the path back is the hypotenuse of the triangle. To find the hypotenuse, we can do [tex]a^2+b^2=c^2[/tex], where c is the hypotenuse. We do
[tex]6^2+12^2=c^2\\36+144=c^2\\180=c^2\\\sqrt{180}=c\\ 6\sqrt{5}=c[/tex]Therefore, the total distance flown by the helicopter is 18+[tex]6\sqrt{5}[/tex].
