Two cars leave the same parking lot, with one heading north and the other heading east. After several minutes, the northbound car has traveled 8 kilometers, and the eastbound car has traveled 6 kilometers. Measured in a straight line, how far apart are the two cars?

To find the distance between the two cars, we can use the Pythagorean theorem. The northbound car and the eastbound car form a right triangle, where the distance traveled by the northbound car is one leg of the triangle, and the distance traveled by the eastbound car is the other leg. Let: - \( a = 8 \) kilometers (distance traveled by the northbound car) - \( b = 6 \) kilometers (distance traveled by the eastbound car) The distance \( d \) between the two cars can be calculated using the formula: \[ d = \sqrt{a^2 + b^2} \] Substituting the values: \[ d = \sqrt{8^2 + 6^2} \] \[ d = \sqrt{64 + 36} \] \[ d = \sqrt{100} \] \[ d = 10 \text{ kilometers} \] Therefore, the two cars are 10 kilometers apart.