Math Problem Statement

A man starts from his house and walks 3km North and turns towards his right and walks 7km and continues in the same direction for another 2km. He then walks 3km in South direction and finally walks 4km in West direction. What is the distance between his starting and ending point?

Solution

The problem in the image states:

A man starts from his house and walks 3 km North. Then he turns right (East) and walks 7 km and continues another 2 km, making a total of 9 km in the East direction. He then walks 3 km South and finally 4 km West. The question asks for the distance between his starting and ending point.

Step-by-step breakdown:

  1. North movement: He walks 3 km North.
  2. East movement: He walks 9 km (7 km + 2 km) East.
  3. South movement: He walks 3 km South, canceling out his North movement (he's now back to the horizontal axis).
  4. West movement: He walks 4 km West.

Final position:

  • Horizontally: He moves 9 km East, then 4 km West, leaving him 9 - 4 = 5 km East of his starting point.
  • Vertically: His North and South movements cancel each other out, so he is at the same vertical level as his starting point.

Distance between starting and ending point:

The horizontal distance is 5 km, and since there’s no vertical displacement, the total distance is 5 km.

Thus, the correct answer is 5 km.

Do you want further details or have any questions?

Here are 5 relative questions that expand on this topic:

  1. What is the importance of vector addition in solving this type of problem?
  2. How do you calculate distance in more complex scenarios involving diagonal paths?
  3. How does the Pythagorean theorem help in calculating distances in such problems?
  4. What would the total distance walked by the man be, and how does it differ from the displacement?
  5. Can you give examples of similar problems involving movement in different directions?

Tip: Always break down movements into horizontal and vertical components when solving distance problems in different directions!

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Math Problem Analysis

Mathematical Concepts

Coordinate geometry
Displacement

Formulas

Displacement formula = sqrt(x² + y²)
Right-angle triangle geometry

Theorems

Pythagorean theorem

Suitable Grade Level

Grades 6-8