A child walks 6 m towards the west and then 20 in towards south. He then turns east and walks another 12 m. Then he walks 12 m towards the north. How far is he from his initial position?

1. Distance walked towards west (OA) =6m
2. Distance walked towards south (AB) =20m
3. Distance walked towards East (BC) =12m
4. Distance walked towards North (CD) =12m
5. ED = CD – CE = 20-12 = 18
6. EO = EA – OA = 12-6 = 6

In triangle OED,

OD2 = DE² + EO² by Pythagoras theorem

8² + 6²

= 64 + 36

= 100 ……(1)

Distance from initial point to terminal point = √100

= 10m