Final answer:
To find the displacement for segment a of the motion, calculate the distance traveled, magnitude of displacement, and displacement from start to finish.
Step-by-step explanation:
To find the displacement for segment a of the motion, we need to determine the magnitude and direction of the displacement. In Figure 2.71, path A represents the motion. (a) The distance traveled can be calculated by adding the lengths of all the segments of path A. (b) The magnitude of the displacement is the shortest distance between the starting and ending points of path A. (c) To find the displacement from start to finish, we need to determine the vector sum of all the segments of path A.