Suneeta moves a distance of 9 meters towards the east. She then moves towards…
2023
Suneeta moves a distance of 9 meters towards the east. She then moves towards the south and travels a distance of 4 meters. From here, she moves a distance of 6 meters towards the west. How far is the starting point from her final position?
- A.
3 m
- B.
4 m
- C.
5 m
- D.
7 m
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: C
Concept: When movement happens along two perpendicular axes (East-West and North-South), the net displacement along each axis is found separately by combining movements in that axis algebraically (opposite directions subtract), and the straight-line distance between the start and end points is the hypotenuse of the right triangle formed by these two net perpendicular displacements, found using the Pythagorean theorem.
East-West axis: 9 m East, then 6 m West → net horizontal displacement = 9 − 6 = 3 m East.
North-South axis: 4 m South is the only movement along this axis → net vertical displacement = 4 m South.
These two net displacements (3 m and 4 m) are perpendicular, forming the two legs of a right triangle whose hypotenuse is the straight-line distance from the starting point.
Apply the Pythagorean theorem: h2 = 32 + 42 = 9 + 16 = 25.
h = √25 = 5 m.
Cross-check: 3, 4, 5 is a well-known Pythagorean triple, confirming h = 5 m; since East-West and North-South are the only two axes of movement in this problem, no other displacement component is unaccounted for.
Hence, Suneeta is 5 meters from her starting point.