You walk 20 meters to the bus stop, but you notice you forgot your homework you run 20 meters back home. With homework in hand you walk 20 meters to the bus. What are your distance and displacement?
distance=60, displacement=20
To determine the distance and displacement, let's break down the scenario step by step:
1. You walk 20 meters to the bus stop. That means your initial position is at home, and you move 20 meters in one direction.
2. However, you realize you forgot your homework and need to go back home. You run 20 meters, but in the opposite direction of the bus stop.
3. After retrieving your homework, you walk back to the bus stop, another 20 meters.
Now, let's calculate the distance and displacement:
Distance is simply the total amount of ground covered. So, if you add up all the distances traveled:
20 meters (to the bus stop) + 20 meters (running back home) + 20 meters (to the bus stop again) = 60 meters
Therefore, the distance you traveled is 60 meters.
Displacement, on the other hand, refers to the change in position or the straight-line distance between your start and end points.
From the starting point (home) to the ending point (bus stop), we can see that you moved directly from the start to the end, and the distance between them is 20 meters.
Therefore, your displacement is 20 meters in the direction of the bus stop.