# 4.1. Condition:

A swallow, a sparrow, and a canary perched on three poles along the highway. The swallow landed on a pole located 380 meters from the bus stop; the sparrow - on a pole that is 450 meters from the stop, right in the middle between the swallow and the canary. At what distance from the stop is the pole on which the canary perched? Express the answer in meters, and specify all possible options.
Answer: 520, 1280

## Solution.

Since the sparrow is exactly in the middle, the distance between it and the swallow is equal to the distance between it and the canary. The distance between the sparrow and the swallow is $450-380=70$ meters (if the birds are on the same side of the bus stop) or $450+380=830$ meters (if the birds are on opposite sides of the bus stop). Therefore, the canary is sitting at a distance of $450+70=520$ meters (on the same side of the bus stop) and $450+830=1280$ meters (on opposite sides of the bus stop).

![](https://cdn.mathpix.com/cropped/2024_05_06_c8e4d847c3bda2de5ad8g-07.jpg?height=392&width=1556&top_left_y=1523&top_left_x=296)