Final answer:
The 'Calcutta displacement' in a walk refers to the straight-line distance from the start to the end point, which is the hypotenuse of a right-angled triangle. The Pythagorean theorem can be used to calculate it by summing the squares of the eastward and northward walks and then taking the square root of this sum. Displacement is a vector as it has both magnitude and direction.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Pythagorean theorem states that in a right-angled triangle, the square of the hypotenuse (c) is equal to the sum of the squares of the other two sides (a and b). This can be expressed by the formula a² + b² = c². When we refer to 'Calcutta displacement' in your walk, it implies the straight-line distance from the starting point to the final point, despite any zigzag or indirect path taken. This straight-line distance is the hypotenuse of a right-angled triangle formed by the eastward and northward displacements as the other two sides.
To find the actual displacement (c), you would square the distance walked east (a) and north (b), and then take the square root of the sum of these squares. For example, if you walked 9 blocks east (a) and 5 blocks north (b), then the displacement c would be calculated as √(9² + 5²). Displacement is considered a vector because it has both magnitude and direction, as opposed to distance, which is a scalar and only has magnitude.