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Wendy runs 5 miles directly east. Then, she runs 5 miles in the opposite direction, directly west, and finishes where she started. What does 5+(−5)=0 represent in this situation? Did Wendy run 0 miles? Explain your reasoning behind both answers

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Answer:

0 is the displacement of Wendy after the run and the total distance covered is 10 miles.

Explanation:

We are given the following information in the question:

Wendy runs 5 miles directly east

Then, she runs 5 miles in the opposite direction, directly west, and finishes where she started.

5 + (-5) = 0 in this situation means that the displacement of Wendy is zero in this case.

This does not mean that Wendy ran 0 miles.

Total distance run by Wendy = 5 + 5 = 10

Displacement and distance:

  • Distance is a scalar quantity that refers to how much ground an object has covered or the distance covered by an object during its motion.
  • Displacement is a vector quantity that refers to shortest distance between the starting and the ending point of an object during a motion.
  • Direction plays an important role in the displacement of an object since it is a vector quantity.
  • It is the object's overall change in position.

Thus, 0 is the displacement of Wendy after the run and the total distance covered is 10 miles.

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