Question

According to the table, what was the hiker’s total displacement?

Answer 1

Answer:

A: 0

Step-by-step explanation:

Important to remember - total displacement is the direct distance between the start and finish points, and isn't always equal to the total distance travelled.

In the case of the table above, the hiker travels the same distance in opposite directions, which actually means they cancel each other out! Traveling 4 km to the west, then 4 km to east means you end up in the same spot, right? So your total displacement is 0! (or 4 - 4, which equals 0). Same happens with the north-south hikes - the hiker ends up in the same spot, as the displacement is equal to 6 - 6 = 0.

So, the total displacement of the hiker is 0. (Even though the hiker travelled 20 km!)