A student walks 20m West, heads 50m South, 20m East, and finally 50m North. How much distance does he travel?
Understand the Problem
The question is asking for the total distance traveled by a student who walks in multiple directions (west, south, east, and north), summing up the individual distances to find the overall distance covered.
Answer
The total distance traveled is \( 140 \, \text{m} \).
Answer for screen readers
The student travels a total distance of ( 140 , \text{m} ).
Steps to Solve
-
Calculate Total Distance in Each Direction
- The student walks the following distances:
- 20m West
- 50m South
- 20m East
- 50m North
- The student walks the following distances:
-
Add the Distances Together
- To find the total distance traveled, sum the individual distances:
$$ \text{Total Distance} = 20 \text{ m} + 50 \text{ m} + 20 \text{ m} + 50 \text{ m} $$
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Perform the Addition
- Now, add the values:
$$ \text{Total Distance} = 20 + 50 + 20 + 50 = 140 \text{ m} $$
The student travels a total distance of ( 140 , \text{m} ).
More Information
The total distance is simply the sum of all segments traveled, regardless of direction. This type of problem demonstrates how to calculate total distance by considering the entire journey, not just the net displacement.
Tips
- Confusing Distance with Displacement: Remember that distance considers the total path traveled, while displacement measures the straight-line distance from start to finish.
- Forgetting Any Segment: Be careful to account for each distance walked in the problem to avoid missing parts of the journey.
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