Question

while john is traveling along a straight interstate highway, he notices that the mile marker reads 268. john travels until he reaches the 151-mile marker and then retraces his path to the 179-mile marker. what is john's resultant displacement from the 268-mile marker?

Answer 1

John's resultant displacement from the 268-mile marker, after traveling to the 151-mile marker and retracing to the 179-mile marker, is 89 miles. This is computed by subtracting the positive displacement from the negative displacement obtained during his journey.

Step-by-step explanation:

To determine John's resultant displacement from the 268-mile marker after he reaches the 151-mile marker and retraces his path to the 179-mile marker, we consider the numerical difference between his final and initial positions along the highway, irrespective of the path he took.

First, he travels from the 268-mile marker to the 151-mile marker, a movement that would correspond to a negative displacement since he is moving towards the lower-mile markers.

The displacement here is 268 miles - 151 miles = 117 miles.

Then, John retraces his path back to the 179-mile marker.

This second part of his trip is a positive displacement, as the mile markers he is reaching are higher.

The displacement for this segment is 179 miles - 151 miles = 28 miles.

To find the resultant displacement, we subtract the second displacement from the first one:

117 miles - 28 miles = 89 miles.

Therefore, John's resultant displacement from the 268-mile marker, after reaching the 151-mile marker and then going to the 179-mile marker, is 89 miles.