Question

A car moves a distance of 50.0 km West, followed by a distance of 64.9 km North What was the magnitude of the displacement of the car, in units of kilometers?

Answer 1

Answer:

Displacement of the car, XY = 81.92 km

Explanation:

From the attached figure,

OX = 64.9 km (in north direction)

OY = 50 km (in west direction)

We have to find the displacement of the car. The shortest path covered by a car is called displacement of the car. Here, XY shows the displacement of the car :

Using Pythagoras equation as :

$XY^2=OX^2+OY^2$

$XY^2=(64.9\ km)^2+(50\ km)^2$

XY = 81.92 km

Hence, the displacement of the car is 81.92 km.