Final answer:
The total distance the person ran is 32.0 km, whereas the displacement is 8.0 km to the north.
Step-by-step explanation:
Distance and Displacement Calculation
When someone runs 20.0 km north and then turns around and runs 12.0 km south, the total distance traveled is the sum of both legs of the journey without taking the direction into account. Therefore, the total distance is 20.0 km + 12.0 km = 32.0 km.
The displacement, on the other hand, is a vector quantity that not only takes into account the magnitude but also the direction of the motion. It is the shortest path from the starting point to the final position. Since the person first runs north and then returns south, the displacement vector can be calculated by subtracting the southward journey from the northward journey. Thus, the displacement is 20.0 km - 12.0 km = 8.0 km in the northward direction.
he distance traveled by the person is the total length covered along the path, regardless of the direction. In this case, the person ran 20.0 km north and then 12.0 km south, resulting in a total distance of 32.0 km.
The displacement is a vector quantity that represents the straight-line distance and direction from the starting point to the final position.
Since the person initially ran 20.0 km north and then returned 12.0 km south, the net displacement can be calculated by subtracting the distance traveled south from the distance traveled north. This gives a displacement of 8.0 km north.