Question

Fabiola leaves the Physical Science classroom and walks 4 meters north to the P.E. Department. Then she turns and walks 12 miles south to the History Department. The total distance that Fabiola travels is ___________ meters.

A. 4 meters
B. 8 meters
C. 16 meters
D. 12 miles

Answer 1

The total distance that Fabiola travels is 16 meters, which is the sum of the 4 meters north and 12 meters south she walks.

Step-by-step explanation:

The student's question asks to calculate the total distance that Fabiola travels, which includes both a segment to the north and one to the south. If Fabiola first travels 4 meters north and then turns around to travel 12 meters south, the total distance traveled is simply the sum of both legs of the trip. The calculation is straightforward: It is 4 meters north plus 12 meters south, which equals 16 meters in total. Note that we are talking about distance, not displacement, so we add the absolute values of the distances traveled in each direction.