Question

A man leaves his home, runs 5 miles north, then he turns around and runs back to his starting point. What is his total displacement?

a) 5 miles south
b) 0 miles (back to the starting point)
c) 5 miles north
d) 10 miles

Answer 1

In the physics problem, the man's total displacement after running 5 miles north and returning to the same spot is 0 miles because displacement measures the change in position, not the path traveled.

Step-by-step explanation:

The subject of this question is Physics, specifically, it relates to the concept of displacement in mechanics, a subfield of physics. Displacement is defined as the vector pointing from the initial position of an object to its final position. In the scenario given in the question, a man leaves his home, runs 5 miles north, and then returns straight back to the starting point. Displacement is not concerned with the path taken but rather the change in position. Therefore, the man's total displacement would be 0 miles (back to the starting point), as he ends up at the same location where he started. This would correspond to choice b) 0 miles.