The problem asks for the straight-line distance from the starting point after driving 16 miles south and 12 miles east. The answer should be rounded to the nearest tenth of a mile.

1. Problem Description

The problem asks for the straight-line distance from the starting point after driving 16 miles south and 12 miles east. The answer should be rounded to the nearest tenth of a mile.

2. Solution Steps

The problem describes a right triangle where the two legs are the distances traveled south and east. The straight-line distance from the starting point is the hypotenuse of this right triangle. We can use the Pythagorean theorem to find the length of the hypotenuse.

The Pythagorean theorem is:

$a^2 + b^2 = c^2$

where $a$ and $b$ are the lengths of the legs of the right triangle, and $c$ is the length of the hypotenuse.

In this case, $a = 16$ miles and $b = 12$ miles.

So,

$16^2 + 12^2 = c^2$

$256 + 144 = c^2$

$400 = c^2$

$c = \sqrt{400}$

$c = 20$

Therefore, the straight-line distance from the starting point is 20 miles.

3. Final Answer

20.0