Two friends “a” and “b” start walking from a common point. A goes 20 km towards the northeast, whereas “b” goes 15 km towards the east and then 12 km towards the north. How far are “a” and “b” from each other?

Step 2: Now we have to find the distance between a and b.

Step 3: Calculation

Using the provided data, we obtain

The Pythagoras Theorem, which

Displacement of b = √162 + 122

= √256 + 144

= √400

Taking square root

= 20 km

Now, when a and b finally cross paths at the conclusion of their journey, their separation will be:

= 20 - 20

= 0 km

• While distance and displacement appear to signify the same thing, they actually have very different definitions and meanings.
• A scalar quantity known as distance measures "how much ground an object has traversed" while moving.
• An object's total change in position is referred to as displacement, a vector variable that measures "how far out of place an object is."
• Distance is the total distance a body travels in a given amount of time.

Therefore, the distance between a and b is 0 km

Summary:

Two friends “a” and “b” start walking from a common point. A goes 20 km towards the northeast, whereas “b” goes 15 km towards the east and then 12 km towards the north. How far are “a” and “b” from each other?

Two friends "a" and "b" set out on foot from a shared location. A travels 20 kilometres northeast whereas "b" travels 15 kilometres east before travelling 12 kilometres north. The distance between a and b is 0 km