a bird flies 100 km due north, then turns due west and flies another 85 km. how far is the bird from its original location?

Question

a bird flies 100 km due north, then turns due west and flies another 85 km. how far is the bird from its original location?

Answer 1

Ahmed:

 

Let us assume that the bird flies in straight line paths and not "geodesic" ones (or the ones flown by aircrafts).

 

Use the so called Pythagorean Theoem (It was proved way way before his time)

 

Let the bird start at A and go north to B.  AB, a straight line, is 100 km. Then the bird makes a right angled left turn to West and goes to C.  BC is 85 km.  You want the distance AC.  It is given by

 

(AC)² = (AB)² + (BC)² = 100² + 85² = 17225.

 

Therefore AC = SQRT(17225). (abour 131.5 kn)

 

Dattaprabhakar (Dr. G.)