A man walks 4 km East, then turns left and walks 3 km. He again turns left and walks 2 km. Finally, he turns right and walks 3 km. What is the shortest distance between his starting point and his current position?
Correct: B
Let the starting point be the origin (0,0).
1. Walks 4 km East: Position becomes (4, 0).
2. Turns left (North) and walks 3 km: Position becomes (4, 0+3) = (4, 3).
3. Turns left (West) and walks 2 km: Position becomes (4-2, 3) = (2, 3).
4. Turns right (North) and walks 3 km: Position becomes (2, 3+3) = (2, 6).
The final position is (2, 6) relative to the starting point (0,0).
The horizontal displacement is 2 km East, and the vertical displacement is 6 km North.
The shortest distance is calculated using the Pythagorean theorem:
Distance = sqrt((2)^2 + (6)^2) = sqrt(4 + 36) = sqrt(40) km.