Question

A cave explorer travels 33 m southward, then 7m westward, 16 m northward, and finally 25 m eastward. Determine the direction of the explorer’s displacement

Answer 1

The explorer's displacement is 17° south of west.

Step-by-step explanation:

To determine the direction of the explorer’s displacement, we first need to find the net displacement in terms of east and north. We can break each leg of the journey into east and north components:

1. 33 m southward is equivalent to a displacement of -33 m north
2. 7 m westward is equivalent to a displacement of -7 m east
3. 16 m northward is equivalent to a displacement of 16 m north
4. 25 m eastward is equivalent to a displacement of 25 m east

Adding up the east and north components, we find a net displacement of -7 m east and -17 m north. Therefore, the direction of the explorer’s displacement is 17° south of west.