A football player runs the ball from the 20-yard line on one side of the field to the 20-yard line on the other side. How many yards did the player run?

The field is as follows:
10 20 30 40 50 40 30 20 10

1 answer

In American football, the end zones are typically 10 yards deep, and the goalposts are located at the back of the end zones. A standard football field is 100 yards long between the goal lines, but considering both end zones, the total length becomes 120 yards.

The player is running from the 20-yard line on one side of the field to the 20-yard line on the opposite side.

  • Running from the 20-yard line to the opposite 20-yard line means the player runs the following distance:
    • From the 20-yard line to the end line of their side = 20 yards (to the end zone).
    • From the end line of their side to the opposite end zone = 100 yards (length of the field).
    • From the opposite end zone to the 20-yard line = 20 yards.

Now adding these distances:

  • Distance = 20 (to the end zone) + 100 (across the field) + 20 (to the opposite 20-yard line)
  • Distance = 20 + 100 + 20 = 140 yards.

Thus, the player ran a total of 140 yards.