2.1. Locating an Object: Distance and Displacement http://www.ck12.org
Answer: As long as all of the motion takes place in only one direction.
- Two bicyclists travel from House 1 to House 2 as in seen in theFigure2.6. Path A is straight and Path B is
curved. Which path has greater displacement?
Answer:Consider the definition of displacement:∆x=Pf−Pi. Since the initial and final positions for both paths
are identical, the displacement must be the same for pathsAandB.
FIGURE 2.6
Distinguishing between distance and displacement.