if you walked 20m, took a book from a library table, turned around and walked back to your seat, what are the distance traveled and displacement?

i think the displacement will be zero because you went back so you displaced but back to your normal position. but i am not sure of the distance traveled.

To find both the distance traveled and the displacement, we need to understand the definitions of these terms.

Distance: Distance is a scalar quantity that represents the total length covered during a journey. It is always positive or zero and doesn't take into account the direction of motion.

Displacement: Displacement is a vector quantity that represents the change in position or the straight-line distance from the initial position to the final position, taking into account both magnitude and direction.

In your scenario, let's assume your initial position is at your seat, and you walk 20 meters in one direction to the library table. Then you turn around and walk back to your seat.

Distance Traveled: To calculate the distance traveled, we need to consider the total distance covered, regardless of direction. You walked 20 meters to the library table and then walked another 20 meters back to your seat. Therefore, the total distance traveled is 20 meters + 20 meters = 40 meters.

Displacement: Displacement takes into account both the magnitude (distance) and the direction of motion. In this case, the direction is important because you traveled in one direction initially and then turned around to come back. The displacement is the straight-line distance from your initial position to your final position.

Since you returned to your original position (your seat), the displacement is zero. This is because your final position has the same magnitude but the opposite direction compared to your initial position.

Therefore, to summarize:
- Distance Traveled: 40 meters
- Displacement: 0 meters