A motorcyclist drives 5.1 km [ E ] then turns and drives 14 km [N]. What is their total displacement?

1 answer

To calculate the total displacement, we need to find the vector sum of the individual displacements in the North and East directions.

The displacement towards the East is 5.1 km [E]. Since this is a displacement only in the x-axis (horizontal direction), we can represent it as (5.1, 0) km.

The displacement towards the North is 14 km [N]. Since this is a displacement only in the y-axis (vertical direction), we can represent it as (0, 14) km.

To find the vector sum, we add the components of the displacements separately:
(5.1 km, 0 km) + (0 km, 14 km) = (5.1 km, 14 km)

Therefore, the total displacement is 5.1 km [E] and 14 km [N], or 5.1 km [E 14 N].