Answer
The distance from his current and initial position is $\approx 16.6$ miles.
Work Step by Step
1. Find the distance between his current position and his initial position
Let $x =$ the distance
$ a^{2} + b^{2} = x^{2}$
$x = \sqrt(a^{2} + b^{2})$
$x = \sqrt(15^{2} + 7^{2})$
$x = \sqrt (274)$
$x = 16.5529...$ miles
$x \approx 16.6$ miles
