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Ricky walks 232 meters due south, then 180 meters due east and finally 344 meters due north. How far is Ricky from his starting point?

User MikeG
by
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1 Answer

1 vote

Answer: 212 meters

Explanation:

To find how far Ricky is from his starting point, we can visualize this as a right triangle, where the southward and northward movements form the vertical legs, and the eastward movement forms the horizontal leg.

Let's calculate it step by step:

1. Ricky walks 232 meters due south.

2. He walks 180 meters due east.

3. Finally, he walks 344 meters due north.

Now, we can calculate the horizontal and vertical displacements:

Vertical displacement (north-south direction) = 344 meters (north) - 232 meters (south) = 112 meters north.

Horizontal displacement (east-west direction) = 180 meters (east).

Now, we can use the Pythagorean theorem to find the distance from his starting point (the hypotenuse of the right triangle):

Distance = √((Vertical displacement)^2 + (Horizontal displacement)^2)

Distance = √((112 meters)^2 + (180 meters)^2)

Distance = √(12544 + 32400)

Distance = √44944

Distance ≈ 212 meters

So, Ricky is approximately 212 meters from his starting point.

User Riadh Gomri
by
8.3k points