the number on the left is the displacement, on the right is the vector. The person travelling i order of the numbers ....not sure how to explain this because there are no instructions only a shart with the titles of the categories Steps, Displacement, Vector.
I'm supposed to find the Displacement. How do I do that?
20m North
52m South
19m East
30m North
1m West
1m North
10m South
56m North
19m West
26m South
There is no magic but to resolve each and every vector into its components (East =x, North =y), and add up each component.
A well formatted table will help you organize your work. A suitable format could be:
Distance Direction(°) x-component y-component
20 90 20cos(90) 20 sin(90)
52 -90 20cos(-90) 20sin(-90)
....
26 -90 26cos(-90) 26sin(-90)
------------------------------------
Total --- x-total y-total
I don't get that ....please help..this is my first year of physics so i have no idea at all
To find the displacement, you need to calculate the net change in position from the starting point to the final point. Here's how you can do that:
1. Start by identifying the initial position. Since no information about the starting point is given, we'll assume it is (0,0).
2. To calculate the displacement, you'll need to add up the individual vectors. In this case, each vector represents a distance and direction of travel.
3. For each vector, assign a coordinate axis to represent the direction. Let's assume the positive x-axis is eastward and the positive y-axis is northward.
4. Start with the first vector: 20m North. Since it is in the north direction, it will have a positive value on the y-axis. So, add 20m to the y-coordinate.
Current position: (0, 20)
5. Next, consider the second vector: 52m South. Since it is in the south direction, it will have a negative value on the y-axis. Subtract 52m from the y-coordinate.
Current position: (0, 20 - 52)
6. Continue this process for each vector, updating the current position accordingly.
- Vector: 19m East
Current position: (0 + 19, 20 - 52)
- Vector: 30m North
Current position: (19, 20 - 52 + 30)
- Vector: 1m West
Current position: (19 - 1, 20 - 52 + 30)
- Vector: 1m North
Current position: (19 - 1, 20 - 52 + 30 + 1)
- Vector: 10m South
Current position: (19 - 1, 20 - 52 + 30 + 1 - 10)
- Vector: 56m North
Current position: (19 - 1, 20 - 52 + 30 + 1 - 10 + 56)
- Vector: 19m West
Current position: (19 - 1 - 19, 20 - 52 + 30 + 1 - 10 + 56)
- Vector: 26m South
Current position: (19 - 1 - 19, 20 - 52 + 30 + 1 - 10 + 56 - 26)
7. Finally, the current position represents the final displacement, which is (x-coordinate, y-coordinate). In this case, the displacement is (-1, 10 - 26), or (-1, -16).
Therefore, the displacement is -1m West and 16m South.