Question

A dog walks 14 meters to the east and then 20 meters back to the west what's the magnitude and direction of displacement

Answer 1

6 meters west

Step-by-step explanation:

In one-dimensional motion, displacement is defined as changes in position which mathematically can be expressed as:

`\displaystyle{\Delta x = x_f-x_i}`

Our initial position is 14 meters and final position is 20 meters. Therefore, we can input as the followings:

`\displaystyle{x_i = 14, \, x_f = 20}`

Therefore, we have displacement = 20-14 = 6 meters. 6 meters is our magnitude but since vector from the west has more magnitude than vector from the east. Therefore, west overrules east. Hence, the answer is 6 meters west.