Question

A swimmer swims a half lap, moving from the left end to the right end of a pool that is 50 meters long. What is the Distance and Displacement?

Answer 1

The distance is 50m and the displacement is also 50 m

Step-by-step explanation:

the swimmer traveled 50m =distance

the swimmer was now 50m away from the start=displacement

Answer 2

Distance = 50m

Displacement = 50m to the right

Explanation:

Distance is the total length of a given path. It is a scalar quantity and thus takes no consideration on the direction of the path.

Displacement on the other hand is the change in position of an object. It is a vector quantity and takes consideration on the direction of the object.

From the question:

The swimmer swims half lap by moving from the left end to the right end of a pool that is 50m long.

Distance = total length of the given path = 50m

Displacement = change in position of the swimmer from the left end (0m) to the right end (50m) = 50 - 0 = 50m

Since direction is important in displacement, the complete details of the displacement should be 50m to the right