Question

If a car travels from mile marker 45 to mile marker 25 on I-10,   A)  What is the distance traveled?   B)  What is the displacement traveled?

Answer 1

Distance = 20 miles

Displacement = -20 miles or 20 miles to the west.

Step-by-step explanation:

The distance is the magnitude of the miles that the car travels, so it can be calculated as the absolute value of the difference between the final and initial marker. Then, the distance is:

Distance = | Final Marker - Initial Marker |

Distance = | 25 - 45 |

Distance = |-20|

Distance = 20 miles

On the other hand, the displacement is a vector, so we need to include the direction of the displacement. Then:

Displacement = Final Marker - Initial Marker

Displacement = 25 - 45

Displacement = -20

Therefore, the displacement is 20 miles to the west direction or -20 miles.

So, the answers are:

Distance = 20 miles

Displacement = -20 miles or 20 miles to the west.