Question

A man travels 21 m in the west direction and then moves 20 m due north. Find his distance from the first point.

Answer 1

Given,

A man travels 21 m in the west direction and then moves 20 m due north. 

Pythagoras theorem states that in a right-angled triangle, the square of the hypotenuse is equal to the sum of the squares of the other two sides.

⇒ (Hypotenuse)² = (base)² + (height)²

⇒ (Hypotenuse)² = 21² + 20²

⇒ (Hypotenuse)² = 441 + 400

⇒ (Hypotenuse)² = 841

⇒ (Hypotenuse)² = 29²

⇒ Hypotenuse = `sqrt(29^2)` = 29 m

Hence, this is the required.