How to Calculate Distance Travelled by a Camel?

What is the distance of the camel from oasis B after walking in a specific direction?

Starting from oasis A, a camel walks 24 km in a direction 20° south of east and then walks 7.0 km due north. How far is the camel then from oasis B?

Calculation of Camel's Distance from Oasis B

The camel is 22.4 km from oasis B after walking 24 km in a direction 20° south of east and then walking 7.0 km due north.

From oasis A, the camel walks 24 km in a direction 20° south of east. Let's call this distance "d". We can calculate the horizontal and vertical components of this distance as follows:

Horizontal Component: d cos(20°)

Vertical Component: -d sin(20°) (note that the negative sign indicates southward movement)

Next, the camel walks 7.0 km due north. Let's call this distance "d'". This takes the camel to a new point. By using the Pythagorean theorem for distance calculation, we get the result of 22.4 km from oasis B.

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