Question

The magnitude of displacement of a toy car car, if it travelled from on a path from point A to B as shown, would be:

• A. $7\text{m}$
• B. $13\text{m}$
• C. $5\text{m}$
• D. $12\text{m}$

Answer 1

The correct option is B $13\text{m}$

Given:
A toy car travelling from A to B along the path as shown in the fig.

The car has essentially travelled a distance of $7\text{m}+5\text{m}=12\text{m}$ eastward.
And a distance of $5\text{m}$ southward.
So, the path can be imagined as a right-angled triangle with a base length of $12\text{m}$ and the adjacent side length of $5\text{m}$.

The displacement will then be just the hypotenuse of the triangle:
$=\sqrt{5^2+(12{)}^2}=\sqrt{25+144}=\sqrt{169}$
$=\sqrt{(13{)}^2}=13\text{m}$

So, the displacement of the toy car from A to B is $13\text{m}$.