How do you do this problem?
The water used in many fountains is recycled. For instance, 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 a water particle during once cycle?
Displacement in the vector sense is zero. It ends up at the same point.
To solve this problem, it is important to understand the concept of displacement. Displacement is a vector quantity that measures the change in position from the starting point to the ending point of an object or particle.
In this scenario, a single water particle in a fountain travels through an 85 m system and then returns to the same point. Since the particle returns to the same point, the displacement is zero. This means that the water particle's position has not changed from the starting point; it ends up at the same point it began.
To determine the displacement in this problem, you can use the formula:
Displacement (Δx) = Final position (xf) - Initial position (xi)
Since the particle ends up at the same position it started (xf = xi), the displacement is zero:
Displacement (Δx) = 0 - 0 = 0
Therefore, the displacement of the water particle during one cycle is zero (0).