Question

If you travel 40 miles east and then turn around and drive 12 miles west, the displacement is?

Answer 1

To find how far east we drove (This is the displacement), we simple subtract 12 from 40.
An easy way to do this in your head is to round 12 down to 10, subtract 10 from 40, then subtract the remaining 2. This should result in an answer showing that you drove 28 miles east.

Answer 2

The displacement is 28 miles.

Explanation :

Given that,

Distance to east = 40 miles

Distance to west = 12 miles

We need to calculate the displacement

Using formula of displacement

`D = X_(2)-X_(1)`

Where, D = displacement

X₁= Initial distance to east

X₂ = final distance to west

Put the value into the formula

`D=12-40`

`D = -28\ miles`

Negative sign show the direction of east

Hence, The displacement is 28 miles.