1. **State the problem:** Jeff lives 12 miles east of Stan and 16 miles north of Wei. We need to find the shortest distance between Stan and Wei. 2. **Identify the relationship:** The positions form a right triangle where the legs are the east-west and north-south distances. 3. **Use the Pythagorean theorem:** For a right triangle with legs $a$ and $b$, the hypotenuse $c$ is given by: $$c = \sqrt{a^2 + b^2}$$ 4. **Assign values:** Here, $a = 12$ miles (east-west distance) and $b = 16$ miles (north-south distance). 5. **Calculate:** $$c = \sqrt{12^2 + 16^2} = \sqrt{144 + 256} = \sqrt{400}$$ 6. **Simplify:** $$c = 20$$ 7. **Interpretation:** The shortest distance between Stan and Wei is 20 miles. **Final answer:** 20 miles