how do you solve this

a single water particle in a fountain travels through an 85 m system and then returns to the same point. what is the displacement of this water particle during one cycle?

how do you get the answer ZERO?

displacement = endposition-startingposition

which is zero here.

oh ok. so d=0-0

which is zero
thanks

To solve this problem, we need to understand that displacement is a vector quantity that represents the overall change in position of an object. It takes into account both the distance covered and the direction of movement.

In this scenario, since the water particle travels through a 85 m system and then returns to the same point, we can conclude that the total distance traveled by the particle is 2 times the distance within the system.

Now, let's consider the displacement of the water particle. Displacement tells us the change in position from the initial point to the final point, regardless of the path taken. In this case, since the particle returns to the same point, its displacement is the change in position from the starting point to itself.

Since the starting and ending points are the same, the displacement is zero. This means that the water particle's position hasn't changed, even though it traveled a certain distance.

To clarify further, to get the answer zero, you need to recognize two key factors: First, the water particle returns to the same point, indicating no net change in its position. Second, the displacement only takes into account the change in position, not the total distance traveled.

Therefore, the displacement of the water particle during one cycle in this scenario is zero.