Question

If a bird were to start out from the origin (where the student starts) and fly directly (in a straight line) to the school, what distance db would the bird cover

Answer 1

The question is incomplete. The following is the complete question.

A student bikes to school by traveling first dn = 1.00 miles north, then dw = 0.500 miles west and finally ds = 0.200 miles south. If a bird were to start out from the origin (where the student starts) and fly directly (in a straight line) to the school, what distance dB would the bird cover?

Answer: dB = 0.9435 miles

Explanation: Let's assume north as positive y-axis and east as positive x-axis. So, the components of the movement vectors are:

dn = + 1.00

dw = - 0.500

ds = - 0.200

As dn and ds are vetor pointing in opposite direction and dw, db and dn - ds make a triangle, with db being the hypotenuse:

db = $\sqrt{(dn - ds)^{2} + dw^{2} }$

db = $\sqrt{(1 - 0.2)^{2} +(- 0.5)^{2} }$

db = $\sqrt{0.8^{2} + 0.25 }$

db = 0.9435

The distance the bird cover in a straight line is 0.9435 miles.

The vectors from this question is demonstrated in the attachment.

Answer 2

The question is incomplete! The complete question along with answer and explanation is provided below.

Question:

A student bikes to school by traveling first 1.00 miles north, then 0.500 miles west and finally 0.200 miles south.

If a bird were to start out from the origin (where the student starts) and fly directly (in a straight line) to the school, what distance db would the bird cover

Given Information:  

distance towards north = dn =  1.00 mi

distance towards west = dw =  0.500 mi

distance towards south = ds =  0.200 mi

Required Information:  

distance covered by bird = db = ?

Answer:

distance covered by bird = 0.94 miles

Explanation:

As you can see in the attached image, by applying the Pythagoras theorem,

db = √(dn - ds)² + dw²

db = √ (1.0 - 0.20)² + 0.50²

db = √ 0.80² + 0.50²

db = 0.94 miles

Therefore, the bird would cover a distance of 0.94 miles