Josiah Keith Distance 7Bfbe9

1. **State the problem:** We have three players: Josiah, Ben, and Keith. Ben is 15 feet south of Josiah and 8 feet west of Keith. We want to find the distance Josiah needs to throw the ball to Keith. 2. **Visualize the problem:** Ben, Josiah, and Keith form a right triangle where Ben is at the right angle. The legs of the triangle are the distances from Ben to Josiah (15 feet south) and from Ben to Keith (8 feet east). 3. **Identify the formula:** We use the Pythagorean theorem to find the hypotenuse (distance from Josiah to Keith): $$d = \sqrt{a^2 + b^2}$$ where $a = 15$ feet and $b = 8$ feet. 4. **Calculate the distance:** $$d = \sqrt{15^2 + 8^2} = \sqrt{225 + 64} = \sqrt{289}$$ 5. **Simplify the square root:** $$d = 17$$ 6. **Interpret the result:** Josiah needs to throw the ball 17 feet to get it to Keith. **Final answer:** $$\boxed{17 \text{ feet}}$$