Question

The cross-country team goes on a 10-mile run after school. They end the run outside of the locker room, where they started. Find the distance and displacement of the runners.

a) Distance: 10 miles, Displacement: 0 miles
b) Distance: 0 miles, Displacement: 10 miles
c) Distance: 10 miles, Displacement: 10 miles
d) Distance: 20 miles, Displacement: 0 miles

Answer 1

The cross-country team runs a total distance of 10 miles, but their displacement is 0 miles because they finish at their starting point.

Step-by-step explanation:

The question relates to the concepts of distance and displacement in physics, particularly in kinematics. Distance measures the total ground covered during motion, while displacement measures the change in position in a specific direction from the starting point to the endpoint. In this case, the cross-country team covers a distance of 10 miles throughout their run. However, since they end their run exactly where they started, their displacement is 0 miles because there is no change in position from the start to the end of the run. Therefore, the correct answer is a) Distance: 10 miles, Displacement: 0 miles.