A tourist hikes 3.4 km North to visit a landmark and then hikes an additional 1.2 km South to a lake. What is the hiker's total distance traveled and the hiker's displacement?
distance: 3.4+1.2 km
displacement:3.4-1.2 km North
To find the hiker's total distance traveled, we can simply add the distances of both hikes. So, the total distance traveled is 3.4 km + 1.2 km = 4.6 km.
To find the hiker's displacement, we need to calculate the straight-line distance from the starting point to the final position (the landmark to the lake).
Since the hiker first traveled 3.4 km North and then covered 1.2 km South, we can consider the North direction as positive and the South direction as negative.
So, the displacement can be calculated by subtracting the distance traveled South from the distance traveled North. In this case, the displacement is 3.4 km - 1.2 km = 2.2 km North.
Therefore, the hiker's total distance traveled is 4.6 km, and their displacement is 2.2 km North.