Question

q.2. a dog moves from point a to point b to point c, then back to point b along the line shown in the figure below. what is the dog’s distance and displacement?

Explanation:

Step1: Define distance

Distance is the total path length covered.
The dog moves from A(0) to B(6), then from B(6) to C(11), and then from C(11) back to B(6).
The distance from A to B is $d_{AB}=|6 - 0|=6$ meters.
The distance from B to C is $d_{BC}=|11 - 6| = 5$ meters.
The distance from C to B is $d_{CB}=|6 - 11|=5$ meters.
The total distance $d=d_{AB}+d_{BC}+d_{CB}=6 + 5+5=16$ meters.

Step2: Define displacement

Displacement is the straight - line distance from the initial to the final position.
The dog starts at A(0) and ends at B(6).
The displacement $\Delta x=|6 - 0| = 6$ meters.

Answer:

Distance: 16 meters, Displacement: 6 meters