Sophie runs around an oval 5 mile track. What is Sophie's displacement and total distance ran
The displacement of an object is a vector quantity that refers to the change in position of the object. On the other hand, distance is a scalar quantity that refers to the total length covered by an object without considering its direction.
In this case, since Sophie runs around a 5-mile oval track, her starting and ending positions are the same. Therefore, her displacement is zero since there is no change in position.
However, the total distance ran is equivalent to the length of the track, which is 5 miles.
To find Sophie's displacement, we need to know the starting and ending points of her run. If Sophie starts and ends at the same point on the oval track, her displacement would be zero because displacement measures the change in position from the starting point to the ending point. Since she ends up at the same point, there is no change in position.
On the other hand, the total distance ran by Sophie can be calculated by measuring the length of the track she runs. Given that she runs around a 5-mile oval track, her total distance ran is 5 miles.
To find Sophie's displacement, we need to know her starting and ending points. Since Sophie runs around the oval track, her starting and ending points are the same. Therefore, her displacement is zero. Displacement is the shortest distance between the initial and final position, regardless of the path taken.
To calculate the total distance Sophie ran, we need to know the length of the oval track. In this case, we're given that the track is 5 miles long. Since Sophie runs around the track once, the total distance she ran is equal to the length of the track, which is 5 miles.
So, Sophie's displacement is 0 miles, and she ran a total distance of 5 miles.