Question

If you went up in an elevator to the top of a 50m building then came back down, determine these quantities:

Distance at the top:
Displacement at the top:
Distance when down:
Displacement when down:

Answer 1

If you walked into the building with your cup of coffee at 8:00 in the morning, took a ride up and down on the elevator for fun, and then went home, then ...

When you got to the top:

... Your distance covered = 50 meters

... Your displacement since you started = 50 meters up

When you returned to the bottom:

... Your total distance covered = 100 meters

... Your displacement since you started = zero

Step-by-step explanation:

Answer 2

If you walked into the building with your cup of coffee at 8:00 in the morning, took a ride up and down on the elevator for fun, and then went home, then ...

When you got to the top:

... Your distance covered = 50 meters

... Your displacement since you started = 50 meters up

When you returned to the bottom:

... Your total distance covered = 100 meters

... Your displacement since you started = zero