A shuttle bus runs along a straight road.
Contributed by StemPy LabTry it on paper first. A hint, the key idea and the worked solution are here when you need them.
A shuttle bus runs along a straight road. It goes east to a hotel, then west to the railway station, and then east to the airport. Take east as positive.
- What is the bus's path length?
- What is its displacement, and where is the airport compared with the bus's starting point?
Need a reminder? The key ideaShow
Path length adds up every metre travelled, whatever the direction; it is never negative. Displacement is the change of position, with a sign:
The worked solution
Have you tried it?
Work it out on paper first. It is fine to get stuck or make a mistake: that is how we learn. When you are ready, go through the solution one step at a time, and check each step against your own.
Given. , and .
Step 1. Path length. .
Step 2. Displacement. .
Answer: (a) . (b) : the airport is west of the starting point.
Check. Draw it on a number line: . The bus ends at .
Watch out. Adding the lengths without signs gives the path length, not the displacement. The signs are the directions.
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