Two cousins, Neel and Aryan, start from the same tree. Neel walks 9 m towards the South, then turns left and walks 10 m. Aryan walks 6 m towards the North, then turns left and walks 10 m. What is the shortest distance between Neel and Aryan now?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → 25 m
A left turn moves the facing direction one step anticlockwise (South → East, North → West). Find where each cousin ends up from the tree; then use Pythagoras on the gaps between them.
Neel, facing South, 9 m; turns left, now facing East, 10 m: 9 m south, 10 m east of the tree
Aryan, facing North, 6 m; turns left, now facing West, 10 m: 6 m north, 10 m west of the tree
North-south gap \(=9+6=15\) m; east-west gap \(=10+10=20\) m
Shortest distance \(=\sqrt{20^{2}+15^{2}}=\sqrt{400+225}=\sqrt{625}=25\) m
The shortest distance between them is 25 m.
