A man walks 40 m north, then 24 m east, then 8 m south. How far is he from his starting point (in m)?
Answer and explanation
Correct answer: B. 40
- Step 1: Calculate the net displacements along orthogonal axes: net vertical displacement is , and horizontal displacement is .
- Step 2: Apply the Pythagorean theorem to find the straight-line displacement: .
- Step 3: Evaluate the square root: .
Answer
40.
Why not the others: The alternative displacement options (44, 64, 32) result from confusing clockwise and counter-clockwise turns or adding orthogonal distances linearly.
Practise more Direction sense.
Free questions with an explanation for every one, and full timed CUET UG mock tests.
More Direction sense questions
- A man walks 20 m north, then 20 m east, then 5 m south. How far is he from his starting point (in m)?
- A man walks 20 m north, then 20 m east, then 5 m south. In which direction is he from his starting point?
- A man walks 24 m north, then 16 m east, then 12 m south. How far is he from his starting point (in m)?
- A man walks 24 m north, then 16 m east, then 12 m south. In which direction is he from his starting point?
- A man walks 66 m north, then 36 m east, then 18 m south. How far is he from his starting point (in m)?
- A man walks 66 m north, then 36 m east, then 18 m south. In which direction is he from his starting point?