Question

How do I find the displacement? Help frl

Answer 1

Answer:

• distance traveled: 30 m
• displacement: 21.4 m

Step-by-step explanation:

You want the distance traveled and the displacement after walking 17 m south and 13 m east.

Distance

The distance traveled is the sum of the lengths of each leg of the trip:

  17 m + 13 m = 30 m

You have traveled a distance of 30 m.

Displacement

The displacement is the distance from your final position to your starting position. If you draw a diagram of the journey, you see the displacement is the hypotenuse of a right triangle with legs 17 m and 13 m. The Pythagorean theorem can help you find this length:

  h = √(a² +b²)

  h = √(17² +13²) = √(289 +169) = √458 ≈ 21.401

At the end of your walking, you are 21.4 m from where you started.