Final answer:
To find the distance from the starting position of the ship to its current position at point z, we can use the Pythagorean theorem. The total displacement is approximately 279 miles.
Step-by-step explanation:
To find the distance from the starting position of the ship to its current position at point z, we need to calculate the total displacement of the ship. The ship travels 200 miles from point x to point y, and then continues another 194 miles from point y to point z. We can use the Pythagorean theorem to find the distance between point x and point z.
The displacement in the x-direction is 200 miles, and the displacement in the y-direction is 194 miles.
Using the Pythagorean theorem, the total displacement is sqrt((200)^2 + (194)^2) = sqrt(40000 + 37636)
= sqrt(77636)
= 278.94 miles.
Therefore, the distance from the starting position to the current position is approximately 279 miles.