Final answer:
The statement regarding the township containing 36 one-square-mile sections is true. Displacement is the same regardless of the path taken if the start and end points are the same.
Step-by-step explanation:
The statement that each township is 6 miles square and contains 36 square miles, and thus a township contains 36 sections, is true. This division of land is rooted in the policies established by the Northwest Ordinances, specifically the Ordinance of 1785, which dictated the method by which the land in the Northwest Territory would be surveyed and sold as the United States expanded westward. Homesteaders and settlers generally purchased these plots of land, often quarter sections (160 acres), depending on the climate and the utility of the land for either farming or ranching.
In terms of surveying, a township is defined as an area that is 6 miles on each side, consequently making it 36 square miles in total. Each township is further divided into 36 one-square-mile parcels called sections, consistent with the provided table. Each of these sections is equivalent to 640 acres. The rational subdivision of townships and sections established a clear and uniform framework for land ownership and local governance, which is still evident in the American landscape today.
Displacement in Geometry
The assertion that the displacement of a person who walks 2 blocks east and 5 blocks north will be different from a person walking 5 blocks north and then 2 blocks east is false. Displacement is the straight-line distance from the start point to the end point in vector terms, thus the path taken is irrelevant. Both individuals end up at the same location, resulting in the same displacement.