Distance within a Box

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A rectangular box is 5 inches wide, 5 inches long, and 10 inches high. If x is the greatest possible (straight-line) distance, in inches, between any two points on the box, and y is the second-greatest such distance, what is the ratio of x to y?

Review: Distance within a Box


Explanation

 

It's usually a good idea to make a quick sketch on geometry questions:



The lengths of all of the edges of this shape are either 5 or 10. The lines joining points , , and so on, are all 10. The length is the hypotenuse of a triangle with sides 5 and 10, so its length is



by the Pythagorean Theorem. However, is not the longest segment connecting two points. Namely, is longer because it is the hypotenuse of a triangle that has as a base, so its length is





These are the two-longest lines connecting two points on the box, so the sought-after ratio is



The correct answer is (A).


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