Question

1. a car travels 20 km due north. it then turns around and travels 30 km due south. what is the cars final displacement from its starting point?

10 km south
10 km north
50 km south
50 km north
clear all

Explanation:

Step1: Define Directions

Let north be positive and south be negative. So, distance traveled north: \( +20 \, \text{km} \), distance traveled south: \( -30 \, \text{km} \).

Step2: Calculate Displacement

Displacement \( d = 20 + (-30) = -10 \, \text{km} \). The negative sign indicates south direction.

Answer:

10 km south