4. Compass directions are given as angles compared to North, South, East, or West. For
example northeast could be described as 45° east of north. Bailey rides his bike two miles
east and then four miles south to get to his friend Marco's house. If Bailey could have
travelled directly from his house to Marco's, in what direction would he have travelled?



Answer :

Let's solve the problem step-by-step:

1. Understand the Problem:
Bailey first rides 2 miles east and then 4 miles south. We need to determine the direct path to Marco's house, both the distance and the direction in compass terms.

2. Visualize the Scenario:
- Start at the origin point (0,0).
- Move 2 miles east, reaching the point (2, 0).
- Move 4 miles south, reaching the point (2, -4).

3. Determine the Direct Distance:
We can model this situation using a right triangle:
- One leg of the triangle represents the eastward travel distance (2 miles).
- The other leg of the triangle represents the southward travel distance (4 miles).
- The hypotenuse of the triangle represents the direct distance from Bailey's house to Marco's house.

Using the Pythagorean theorem:
[tex]\[ \text{Distance} = \sqrt{(2^2) + (4^2)} = \sqrt{4 + 16} = \sqrt{20} \approx 4.472 \text{ miles} \][/tex]

4. Determine the Direction:
To find the direction, we use the angle formed by the hypotenuse with the eastward axis:
- The angle θ can be found using the arctangent function:
[tex]\[ \theta = \arctan\left(\frac{\text{southward distance}}{\text{eastward distance}}\right) = \arctan\left(\frac{4}{2}\right) \][/tex]
[tex]\[ \theta \approx 63.435^\circ \text{ (since we have southward 4 miles and eastward 2 miles)} \][/tex]

5. Convert the Angle into Compass Direction:
Since the angle is measured clockwise from east and the travel direction is south of east, the resulting compass direction can be described as:
- "63.435° south of east"

6. Summarize the Result:
- The direct distance from Bailey's house to Marco's house is approximately 4.472 miles.
- The direction Bailey would have travelled directly is approximately 63.435° south of east.

Thus, if Bailey could have directly travelled from his house to Marco's, he would have travelled approximately 4.472 miles in a direction of approximately 63.435° south of east.

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