Question

a car travels 12 miles due north and then 12 miles due west going from town A to town B. The magnitude of the car's displacement is --- miles

Answer 1

The magnitude of the displacement of the car = 16.97 miles (North-West of A)

Step-by-step explanation:

Attached to this answer is a diagram to give you a visual on what is going on i the question

Let the magnitude of the car's displacement be 'd'

The triangle formed is a right angled triangle, using the Pythagoras theorem:

d² = 12² + 12² (Hyp² = Opp² + Adj²)

d² = 144 +144 = 288

d =√ 288 = 16.97 miles

Therefore the magnitude of the displacement of the car = 16.97 miles (North-West of A)