We know that for an object traveling with some given speed, the distance traveled is given by:
Distance = Speed*Time.
Using that relation we will find that the solution is:
1 day: Total distance = 24,900mi
displacement = 0 mi
12 hours: Total distance = 12,450mi
displacement = 7,929.9 mi
To start, we need to find the speed of the Earth's equator location.
We know that it moves approximately 2,075 miles in 2 hours, then the speed is
Speed = (2,075 mi)/2h = 1,037.5 miles per hour.
Now that we know the speed, we can find the total distance traveled in one day as:
Distance traveled = (1,037.5 miles per hour)*24h = 24,900mi
Notice that the question is "How far does this location rotate in one day".
So it is not clear if it asks for total distance (24,900 mi) or displacement.
Displacement refers to the <u>change between the initial position and the final position.</u> Because one complete Earth's rotation happens in one day, after one day that particular location will be in the same position where it started.
Thus the final and initial positions are the same thing, and the displacement is zero.
Now we need to do the same thing for 12 hours:
Total distance traveled = (1,037 miles per hour)*12 = 12,450mi
And here we can see that the location will end on the other end of the circle, thus the <u>displacement will be equal to the diameter</u> of the circle that describes the motion.
Remember that for a circle of diameter D the perimeter is:
P = 3.14*D
Here the perimeter is the first total distance that we got:
24,900mi = 3.14*D
24,900mi/3.14 = D = 7,929.9 mi
Then the displacement in this case is 7,929.9 mi
If you want to learn more, you can read:
brainly.com/question/3243551
