Question

Which of the cars has a displacement North of its initial position?

A car travels North for 5 miles, turns around and returns to the starting position.
A car travels North for 5 miles, turns around and returns to the starting position.

A car travels South for 5 miles, turns around and returns to the starting position.
A car travels South for 5 miles, turns around and returns to the starting position.

A car travels North for 5 miles, turns around and travels South for 8 miles.
A car travels North for 5 miles, turns around and travels South for 8 miles.

A car travels South for 5 miles, turns around and travels North for 8 miles.

Answer 1

The correct answer is A car travels South for 5 miles, turns around, and travels North for 8 miles.

Step-by-step explanation:

Displacement is determined by the change in position. This means there is displacement if the initial position of a body such as a car is different from the final position. Also, the displacement is considered in terms of direction (North, South, East, West). In this context, if a car travels South or North and then returns to its initial position there is no displacement.

According to this, the only option that shows a displacement North is "A car travels South for 5 miles, turns around and travels North for 8 miles" because in this case, the car had a change in position as it first moved 5 miles south (a displacement of 5 miles South) and then 8 miles north, which changes the displacement to 3 miles North (5 miles South - 8 miles North = 3 miles North).