Question

A person walks 3 miles north than turns and walks 2 miles east than turns again and walks 3 miles south what is the distance and displacement?

A) 3 miles
B) 5 miles
C) 7 miles
D) 8 miles

Answer 1

The distance traveled by the person is 8 miles, and the displacement is 2 miles east because the northward and southward movements cancel each other out.

Step-by-step explanation:

The question concerns determining the distance and displacement for a person following a specified path. The individual walks 3 miles north, then 2 miles east, and finally 3 miles south. Since the southward walk cancels out part of the northward walk, the total distance the person travels is the sum of all three individual distances, which is 3 + 2 + 3 = 8 miles.

However, when we calculate the displacement, which is the straight-line distance from the starting point to the final position, the northward and southward walks cancel each other out, leaving only the eastward displacement. Thus, the displacement is 2 miles east. The correct answer choices are (a) Distance: 8 miles (D) and Displacement: 2 miles.