Question

A delivery truck travels 18 blocks north, 10 blocks east, and 16 blocks south. What is the final displacement from the origin? (Assume the blocks are equal length.)

Answer 1

Hello! First, let's write the information contained in the exercise:

• 18 blocks north

,

• 16 blocks south

,

• 10 blocks east

Notice that north and south are opposite directions, right? So, we can subtract it:

18 north - 16 south = 2 blocks vertically

10 blocks horizontally

Now, we can write it as a right triangle, look:

Solving it using Pythagorean Theorem:

$\begin{gathered} x^2=2^2+10^2 \\ x^2=4+100 \\ x^2=104 \\ x=\sqrt[]{104} \\ x\cong10.2\text{ blocks of displacement} \end{gathered}$