- #1
goaliejoe35
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Homework Statement
A room has dimensions 2.22 m (height) × 5.64 m × 6.15 m. A fly starting at one corner flies around, ending up at the diagonally opposite corner. (a) What is the magnitude of its displacement? (b) If the fly walks rather than flies, what is the length of the shortest path it can take? (Hint: This can be answered without calculus. The room is like a box. Unfold its walls to flatten them into a plane.)
The Attempt at a Solution
For Part A I simply found the displacement...
sqrt[(2.22)^2+(5.64)^2+(6.15)^2] = 8.63484 m
Part B is what i don't understand. Wouldn't the shortest path be diagonally across the room? so I tried pythagorean theorem a^2+b^2=c^2
(5.64^2+(6.15)^2=c^2
c=8.345
However this is not the correct answer. I am also confused by the hint that says to unfold the walls like a box, I don't see what that has to do with anything.
Could someone please try to help me with Part B?