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John runs 3 km north then walks 2 km south. What is his total distance traveled and displacement?

1 Answer

7 votes

Answer:

the total distance is 5km and the displacement is 1km

Step-by-step explanation:

The total distance would be the addition of John running both ways so 3 km, 2 km.

However since he only walked back from a distance of 3 km to 2 km, he would be displaced 1 km because displacement is more like the position from the original point.

Think about 2 km as a positive value for the first part of the question and a negative value for the second part.

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