A person travels 12km north by car and then 16km due east by train. How far is he from starting point

Given: A person travels 12km north by car and then 16km due east by train

To do: Find how far is he from the starting point

Solution:

Travelling north 12 km forms one side of a right triangle

Travelling east 16 km forms another side of the right triangle

Distance between the person and starting point forms the hypotenuse of the right triangle above = D

From Pythagoras Theorem we have

$D^{2} = 12^{2} + 16^{2} $

= $144 + 256$

= 400 sq km

D = $√$

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Updated on: 10-Oct-2022

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