Question

two children start at one end of a street, the origin, run to the other end, then head back. on the way back joan is ahead of mike. which statement is correct about the distances run and the displacements from the origin? a. joan has run a greater distance, and her displacement is greater than mikes. b. mike has run a greater distance, and his displacement is greater than joans. c. joan has run a greater distance, but her displacement is less than mikes. d. mike has run a greater distance, but his displacement is less than joans. e. mike has run a shorter distance, and his displacement is less than joans.

Explanation:

Distance is the total length of the path traveled. Since Joan is ahead of Mike on the way back, she has covered more of the return - path, so she has run a greater distance. Displacement is the straight - line distance from the starting point (the origin) to the current position. Joan, being ahead of Mike on the way back, is closer to the origin than Mike. So Mike's displacement from the origin is less than Joan's.

Answer:

e. Mike has run a shorter distance, and his displacement is less than Joan's.