Man travels1mile east then5mile due south then2mile due east n 9mile due north how far he's 4rm starting point

Question

Man travels1mile east then5mile due south then2mile due east n 9mile due north how far he's 4rm starting point

Answer 1

5 miles, if you're wanting a straight line from where he started to where he finished.  

If you're wanting total miles traveled, then he is 17 miles from where he started.

Answer 2

Depends where on earth you are doing this.  When traveling east and west, you are not going in a "straight line" (or, more precisely, following a "great circle".)

For instance, if you start at 5.000000001 miles north of the south pole, you wind up a little less than 4 1/8 miles from where you started.

On the other hand, if you start near the equator, you end up about 5 miles away.

Of course, none of this accounts for changes in elevation.  If you are in the mountains, your answers can be even higher.