Displacement is a vector quantity. Explain with diagram
Answers
Displacement is a vector quantity. It is the length measured from the starting point to the finishing point in a straight line. Its direction must be stated. A girl walks 3 km due north then turns and walks 4 km due east as shown in the diagram.
Answer and Explanation:
Distance and Displacement
Distance is a scalar quantity. It measures the total distance travelled, no matter in which direction.
Displacement is a vector quantity. It is the length measured from the starting point to the finishing point in a straight line. Its direction must be stated.
Example
A girl walks 3 km due north then turns and walks 4 km due east as shown in the diagram.
Calculate
(a) The total distance travelled
(b) The girl’s final displacement relative to her starting position.
Solution
(a) Total distance = 3 km + 4 km
= 7 km
(b) (to calculate displacement, we need to draw a vector diagram)
(this solution involves using Phythagoras and trig functions (SOH-CAH=TOA), but you can also solve these types of problems using a scale diagram).
