Two trees have perfectly straight trunks and are both growing perpendicular to the flat horizontal ground beneath them. the sides of the trunks that face each other are 1.0m apart. a squirrel makes three jumps, first leaps from the foot of one tree to a spot that is 1.0m above the ground on the other tree. then, he jumps to the other tree, landing on a spot 1.7m above the ground. finally he leaps to other tree 2.5m above ground. whats the magnitude of the squirrel's displacement?
displacement= finalposition-initial position.
a^2 + b^2 = c^2
To find the magnitude of the squirrel's displacement, we need to calculate the distance between the starting point and the ending point of its movement.
Let's break down the squirrel's jumps and visualize their positions on the trees:
1. The squirrel jumps from the foot of one tree to a spot that is 1.0m above the ground on the other tree.
- At this point, the squirrel is 1.0m above the ground.
- The horizontal distance between the trees is 1.0m.
2. The squirrel jumps to the other tree, landing on a spot 1.7m above the ground.
- Now, the squirrel is 1.7m above the ground.
- The horizontal distance between the trees is still 1.0m.
3. Finally, the squirrel leaps to the other tree at a point 2.5m above the ground.
- The squirrel's final position is 2.5m above the ground.
- The horizontal distance between the trees remains 1.0m.
To find the total displacement, we need to calculate the horizontal distance between the starting point and the ending point. Since the horizontal distance between the trees is constant at 1.0m, the squirrel's displacement is 1.0m.
Therefore, the magnitude of the squirrel's displacement is 1.0 meters.