Displacement Physics Example 3

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Example 3

easy
A car drives 100 m100 \text{ m} north and then 100 m100 \text{ m} south. What is the displacement?

Solution

  1. 1
    The car ends up at its starting position.
  2. 2
    Displacement: Δx=100+(−100)=0 m\Delta x = 100 + (-100) = 0 \text{ m}

Answer

Displacement=0 m\text{Displacement} = 0 \text{ m}
Since the car returns to its starting point, the net displacement is zero even though it traveled a total distance of 200 m200 \text{ m}.

About Displacement

The change in position of an object, measured as the straight-line distance and direction from the starting point to the ending point.

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More Displacement Examples

Example 1 easy

A person walks [formula] east and then [formula] north. What is the total distance traveled and the

Example 2 medium

A runner completes one full lap around a [formula] circular track. What is the runner's displacement

Example 4 medium

A hiker walks [formula] north, then [formula] east. What is the hiker's total distance walked and th

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Related Concepts

PositionVelocityVectors