If you drive 65km east and then turn around and go 45km west, what is your total displacement? Would it be 110km or just 20km?
2006-09-26 16:26:23 · 8 answers · asked by Caravan M 1 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Physics
20km
2006-09-26 16:29:23 · answer #1 · answered by nr91326 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
65km east
--------------------->
45 km west
<--------------
if eastern movement is positive +
and western movement is negative -
(|e|+ 65) + (|w|- 45) = |e|+ 20
therefore you are 20 km east from the first position.
You have however travelled
110 km.
Displacement is the total distance from the start position to the end position. In this question the displacement is only 20 km east.
The total distance travelled NOT THE DISPLACEMENT is 110km.
At the end you are only 20km from where you started, even if you went around the world and ended in that spot at the end of the day you are only 20 km from where you started.
2006-09-26 23:38:01 · answer #2 · answered by intracircumcordei 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
First you go 65km "forward." (east = forward, arbitrary choice) Then, after going 65km forward, you go back 45km. So it's 65 - 45, which is 20km. The total displacement is 20km East.
2006-09-26 23:31:27 · answer #3 · answered by mattomynameo 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I would say 20km east. Not just 20 km.
2006-09-26 23:30:59 · answer #4 · answered by Roadkill 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
20km east would be the displacement
2006-09-26 23:29:52 · answer #5 · answered by Shane W 1 · 2⤊ 0⤋
net 20 km east
2006-09-26 23:44:14 · answer #6 · answered by alim 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If you travelled in exactly the opposite direction then it is 20 KM. And if you did not travel in exactly the opposite direction the it would be something different. i.e if a oblect travells from 'A' to 'B' then to 'C' and if 'A', 'B' and 'C' are nonleanear, then the displacement is the distance betweent 'A' and 'C'.
2006-09-27 02:39:58 · answer #7 · answered by inventor 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
20km
2006-09-26 23:30:43 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋