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CA Foundation · Quantitative Aptitude · Direction Tests

Meera walks 12 m towards the south, then turns west and walks 5 m. What is the shortest distance between her starting point and her final position?

The shortest distance is 13 m. Because the south and west legs are at right angles, the displacement is the hypotenuse of a triangle with sides 12 m and 5 m, so sqrt(144 + 25) = 13 m. Adding the legs to get 17 m would give path length.

  1. A7 m
  2. B13 mCorrect
  3. C17 m
  4. D11 m

Explanation

The two legs are perpendicular, so the shortest distance is the hypotenuse: sqrt(12^2 + 5^2) = sqrt(169) = 13 m. Choosing 17 m adds the legs, which gives the total path length rather than the displacement.

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