Difficulty: Medium
Correct Answer: 45 m East
Explanation:
Introduction:
This is a typical direction–sense tracking problem in which a person makes several moves with specified distances and directions, including right and left turns. We need to follow Rasik's path step by step, map his movement on a simple coordinate system, and finally determine his net displacement from the starting point, both in magnitude and direction.
Given Data / Assumptions:
• Rasik walks 20 m towards North.• Then turns right and walks 30 m.• Then turns right and walks 35 m.• Then turns left and walks 15 m.• Finally turns left and walks 15 m.• We assume flat ground and standard compass directions: North up, East right, South down, West left.
Concept / Approach:
The most reliable approach is to treat Rasik's path like movement on the x–y plane, with North as positive y, East as positive x, South as negative y, and West as negative x. Each turn changes his facing direction by 90 degrees left or right. By updating both the facing direction and the coordinates after each segment, we can compute his final position relative to the starting point and then measure the net displacement.
Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Start at (0, 0), facing North. Walking 20 m North takes Rasik to (0, 20).Step 2: Turning right from North means he now faces East. Walking 30 m East takes him to (30, 20).Step 3: Turning right from East means he now faces South. Walking 35 m South decreases the y-coordinate: 20 − 35 = −15, so his position becomes (30, −15).Step 4: Turning left from South means he now faces East again. Walking 15 m East increases the x-coordinate: 30 + 15 = 45, giving (45, −15).Step 5: Turning left from East now makes him face North. Walking 15 m North increases the y-coordinate from −15 to 0, so his final position is (45, 0).Step 6: The starting point is (0, 0). The difference is (45, 0), which is purely 45 m to the East.
Verification / Alternative check:
We can see that Rasik's final y-coordinate is 0, which means he is back on the same East–West line as his starting point. All net displacement occurs along the East–West axis. His eastward distances were 30 + 15 = 45 m, and he never moved west, so he is exactly 45 m East of the starting point. This matches our coordinate calculation perfectly.
Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Options like 15 m West or 30 m West contradict the fact that he never walked westwards. Similarly, 30 m East underestimates his eastward movement. Any answer involving West as the direction is incorrect because every sideways move after the first right turn was towards the East, not the West. The correct final displacement is 45 m in the East direction.
Common Pitfalls:
Students often get confused by multiple left and right turns and lose track of the direction they are facing at each step. Some also incorrectly combine distances without separating north–south and east–west components. A quick diagram or a small table listing direction, step length and updated coordinates after each turn greatly reduces these mistakes.
Final Answer:
Rasik is finally located 45 m East of his starting position.
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