Asked by Anonymous

In diving a depth of 735m, an elephant seal also moves 600m due east of his starting point. What is the magnitude of the seal's displacement
Answered by Steve
Draw a diagram. Seal dives 735m down, ends up 600m east. So, making the ocean the top leg, draw a horizontal leg of 600, and a vertical leg of 735. Now, the final displacement is just the length of the hypotenuse.

d = sqrt(735^2 + 600^2) = 949m