Question

Calculate the final displacement from 0 if an object first

moves 3 cm to the left and then 5 cm to the right.
The final displacement is cm to the

Answer 1

We can think of "move 5cm to the right" as "move 3cm to the right and then 2 more cm to the right"

So, instead of "move 3cm left and then 5cm right", you can think "move 3 cm to the left, then 3 cm to the right, and then 2 cm to the right".

As you can see, the first two movements cancel out (we move 3cm to the left and 3cm to the right, so we come back at 0), and the only movement remaining is 2cm to the right.

Using more proper formulas, we can interpret moving to the left as subtracting units, and moving to the right as adding units.

So, moving 3cm to the left and then 5cm to the right would become

`-3+5=+2`

which confirms that the final displacement is 2cm to the right.

Answer 2

Answer: 2 cm to the right

Explanation: