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A car goes 8 km west and 2 km north. Find the resultant displacement of the car.

A. 68 km
B. 18.4km
C. 12.8km
D. 8.2km"

User CJ Dennis
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1 Answer

5 votes

Final answer:

To find the resultant displacement of a car that has traveled 8 km west and 2 km north, we use the Pythagorean theorem, resulting in a displacement of approximately 8.2 km.

Step-by-step explanation:

The question deals with resultant displacement, which is a concept in physics. To find the resultant displacement when a car goes 8 km west and 2 km north, we can use the Pythagorean theorem since this movement can be represented as a right-angled triangle with the legs being the distances traveled west and north. The hypotenuse of this triangle will be the resultant displacement.

Applying the Pythagorean theorem (a² + b² = c²), where 'a' is 8 km and 'b' is 2 km:

  • (8 km)² + (2 km)² = c²
  • 64 km² + 4 km² = c²
  • 68 km² = c²
  • c = √(68 km²)
  • c ≈ 8.2 km

So, the correct answer is D. 8.2 km, which is the magnitude of the resultant displacement of the car after going 8 km west and 2 km north.

User Carlos Arauz
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