Question

A student leaves school out the East side and heads 0.70 km down Backwoods Drive. The student then travels 1.20 km North on Wideway St., then 0.85 km East on 12th Street. What is the student's total displacement?

a) 1.75 km

b) 2.20 km

c) 1.55 km

d) 2.75 km

Answer 1

The student's total displacement is approximately 1.21 km.

Step-by-step explanation:

To find the student's total displacement, we need to determine the total east-west and north-south distances traveled and then calculate the resultant displacement.

1. East-West distance: The student travels 0.70 km down Backwoods Drive and then 0.85 km East on 12th Street. So the total east-west distance is 0.70 km - 0.85 km = -0.15 km (negative because it's in the opposite direction).
2. North-South distance: The student travels 1.20 km North on Wideway St. So the total north-south distance is 1.20 km.
3. Resultant displacement: Using the Pythagorean theorem, we can calculate the total displacement as the square root of the sum of the squares of the east-west and north-south distances. Displacement = √(0.0225 + 1.44) = √1.4625 = 1.21 km.

Therefore, the student's total displacement is approximately

1.21 km

.