Question

The figure given alongside shows the path travelled by a person from his house to the market

(a) Calculate the total distance travelled by him

(b) Calculate the resultant displacement.

Answer 1

1. A person travels from his house to the market.
2. Distance travelled will be the total path length covered by a body in moving from house to the market.
3. So, the total distance travelled will be$16.5\mathrm{m}+22.5\mathrm{m}+30\mathrm{m}+40.7\mathrm{m}=109.7\mathrm{m}$.
4. Displacement is defined as the shortest path between the initial and final positions.
5. The displacement will be the path in an anticlockwise direction from the house to the market.
6. Therefore, displacement will be$15\mathrm{m}$.