Math Problem Statement
Pall walks 4 m to the west, then 8 m north, and lastly 6 m east. What is his resultant displacement?
Solution
We can solve this problem by determining Pall's final position relative to his starting point, which will give us his resultant displacement.
Step 1: Break the movement into coordinates
Assume Pall starts at the origin .
- First, he walks 4 m west, which is in the negative x-direction. His new position is .
- Next, he walks 8 m north, which is in the positive y-direction. His new position is .
- Lastly, he walks 6 m east, which is in the positive x-direction. His new position is .
Step 2: Use the Pythagorean theorem to find the resultant displacement
The displacement is the straight-line distance from the starting point to the final position . We can calculate this using the formula for the distance between two points:
Substitute the coordinates and :
Step 3: Direction of the displacement
The angle of the displacement can be found using the inverse tangent function:
Thus, Pall's resultant displacement is approximately 8.25 meters at an angle of north of east.
Do you need more details or have any questions?
Here are 5 related questions:
- What if Pall walked 10 m south instead of 8 m north?
- How would the displacement change if Pall walked west first, then north and south?
- Can you find Pall's average velocity if this trip took 10 seconds?
- What would be Pall’s resultant displacement if he also walked 5 m south after his last movement?
- How do we calculate displacement in three-dimensional movement?
Tip: When dealing with displacement, always consider the direction since displacement is a vector quantity!
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Math Problem Analysis
Mathematical Concepts
Vector Displacement
Pythagorean Theorem
Trigonometry
Formulas
Displacement = sqrt((x2 - x1)^2 + (y2 - y1)^2)
θ = tan^(-1)(opposite/adjacent)
Theorems
Pythagorean Theorem
Trigonometric Ratios
Suitable Grade Level
Grades 9-10
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