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25 votes
25 votes
A motorist drives 5 km east then drives 5 km north. Calculate their distance travelled and their displacement.

User ThrowingSpoon
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1 Answer

16 votes
16 votes

Answer:

See

distance is 10 km

displacement is 5√2 km

Step-by-step explanation:

DISTANCE:

Distance is scaler so, it doesn't depend on the direction

so distance is 5+5 which is 10

DISPLACEMENT:

Displacement is a vector, so, it depends on direction.

Now when we see north and east, they form a right angle, so we need to calculate the hypotenuse of the triangle for displacement as it is the shortest route between the two points.

Let hypotenuse be h

  • 5² + 5² = h² Moved 5 km in east and north so values are 5
  • h² = 25+25
  • h² = 50
  • h = √50
  • h=5√2

Hope it helps

BYE.

User Tobias Gubo
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4.0k points