Examine the scenario.
Andy left his house and went 2 m east of his house. He then went 1 m south, 5 m west, and 1 m north.
What is his displacement for this trip?
Responses
5 m west
5 m west
3 m west
3 m west
7 m
7 m
1 m north
The correct response is 3 m west.
To find the displacement, we need to calculate the net or overall distance and direction from the starting point to the ending point. Starting 2 m east of his house and going 5 m west brings Andy back to his house, resulting in a net displacement of 0 m in the east-west direction. Going 1 m south and 1 m north cancels each other out, resulting in a net displacement of 0 m in the north-south direction. Therefore, the displacement is 0 m east-west and 0 m north-south, resulting in a net displacement of 3 m west.
To determine Andy's displacement, we need to find the net distance and direction from his starting point to his ending point.
First, let's break down Andy's movements step-by-step:
1. Andy went 2 m east of his house.
2. He then went 1 m south.
3. He went 5 m west.
4. Finally, he went 1 m north.
Now, let's calculate the net displacement:
Starting from his house, Andy moved 2 m east and then 5 m west, which cancels out each other, leaving Andy with a displacement of 0 m in the east-west direction.
Next, he moved 1 m south and then 1 m north, which also cancels out each other. This means Andy has zero displacement in the north-south direction as well.
Since Andy has zero displacement in both the east-west and north-south directions, his net displacement for this trip is 0 m.
Therefore, the correct response is:
0 m.