Question 13 Marks
A man has to go 50m due north, 40m due east and 20m due south to reach a field.
- What distance he has to walk to reach the field?
- What is his displacement from his house to the field?
Answer
$\text{AD}=\sqrt{\text{AF}^2-\text{DF}^2}=\sqrt{30^2+40^2}=50\text{m}$
In $\triangle\text{AED}$
$\Rightarrow\tan\theta=\frac{\text{DE}}{\text{AE}}=\frac{30}{40}=\frac{3}{4}$
$\Rightarrow\theta=\tan^{-1}\Big(\frac{3}{4}\Big)$
His displacement from his house to the field is 50m, $\tan^{-1}\Big(\frac{3}{4}\Big)$ north to east.

View full question & answer→- Distance travelled = 50 + 40 + 20 = 110m
- AF = AB - BF = AB - DC = 50 - 20 = 30m
$\text{AD}=\sqrt{\text{AF}^2-\text{DF}^2}=\sqrt{30^2+40^2}=50\text{m}$
In $\triangle\text{AED}$
$\Rightarrow\tan\theta=\frac{\text{DE}}{\text{AE}}=\frac{30}{40}=\frac{3}{4}$
$\Rightarrow\theta=\tan^{-1}\Big(\frac{3}{4}\Big)$
His displacement from his house to the field is 50m, $\tan^{-1}\Big(\frac{3}{4}\Big)$ north to east.





















