Question

Suppose you cycle 10.0 km to the east and 15.0 km north to get to a shopping mall from home. After doing your shopping, you cycle 5.0 km to the west and 14.1 km south-west to meet your friend for a drink. If you have a homing pigeon (a trained pigeon that can find its way home directly), what is the direction should the pigeon fly and how far must it travel to get home in the shortest time

Answer 1

The direction that the homing pigeon should fly and how far it must travel to get home in the shortest time is South and 15.0 km.Explanation:Given,Distance cycled to east = 10.0 kmDistance cycled to north = 15.0 kmDistance cycled to west = 5.0 kmDistance cycled to south-west = 14.1 kmThus, total distance travelled by the person = 10 + 15 + 5 + 14.1= 44.1 kmSince the homing pigeon is trained to find its way directly home, it would follow the shortest possible distance which is a straight line from the person’s location to their home.According to the diagram, to get back home, the person has to travel 15.0 km in the south direction. Therefore, the homing pigeon should fly south and the distance it must travel to get home in the shortest time is 15.0 km.