How far is the football displaced from its original position?A quarterback takes the ball from the line of scrimmage, runs backward for 10yards,...

a^2 + b^2 = c^2

a=15     b=40   c= x

Here's where you get these numbers.

From the starting point, draw a line down and label it 10. Then draw a slightly longer line to the right and label it 15. From here draw another still longer line up and label it 50. Make each length of these lines relative to the amount of the numbers.

Since the problem want to know the displacement of the ball from the scrimmage line, you will now draw a line from the starting point to the end point.    Now draw another line from the starting point straight over to the right and end the line where it intersects the line representing 50. Your diagram should look like a rectangle with a triangle joined along the top side.

One side of your triangle with measure 15. The other known edge will measure 40. You need to find the measurement of the hypotenuse.

15 * 15= 225

40 * 40 = 1600

225 + 1600 = 1825

The square root of 1825 equals 42.72 when rounded to the nearest hundredth.

So the football was displaced approximately 42 feet. This is the distance from its starting point to the end point.