Daily Math Puzzle: 2026-09-01

241 meters — Let the side length of the square field be 's' = 100 meters. We can label the corners of the square as A=(0,0), B=(s,0), C=(s,s), and D=(0,s). The drone's flight path consists of three segments: 1. **From A to the midpoint (M) of the diagonal AC:** The full diagonal AC has a length calculated using the Pythagorean theorem: sqrt(s^2 + s^2) = sqrt(2s^2) = s * sqrt(2). Since the drone flies exactly halfway along this diagonal, the distance from A to M is (s * sqrt(2)) / 2. For s = 100m, this distance is (100 * sqrt(2)) / 2 = 50 * sqrt(2) meters. 2. **From midpoint M to adjacent corner B:** The coordinates of M (the midpoint of AC) are (s/2, s/2), which is (50, 50). The coordinates of corner B are (s, 0), which is (100, 0). Using the distance formula (which is derived from the Pythagorean theorem): Distance M to B = sqrt((100 - 50)^2 + (0 - 50)^2) = sqrt(50^2 + (-50)^2) = sqrt(2500 + 2500) = sqrt(5000) = sqrt(2500 * 2) = 50 * sqrt(2) meters. 3. **From corner B back to the starting corner A:** This is a direct flight along one side of the square. Distance B to A = s = 100 meters. To find the total distance flown, we sum these three segments: Total distance = (A to M) + (M to B) + (B to A) Total distance = 50 * sqrt(2) + 50 * sqrt(2) + 100 Total distance = 100 * sqrt(2) + 100 Total distance = 100 * (sqrt(2) + 1) Now, we approximate sqrt(2) as 1.4142: Total distance = 100 * (1.4142 + 1) Total distance = 100 * 2.4142 Total distance = 241.42 meters. Rounding to the nearest whole meter, the total distance the drone flew is 241 meters.