A mouse runs 5 m north across the floor before hearing a cat. Then it runs back south along the same path for 1 m and turns west to run under a sofa 3 m away. what is the displacement of the mouse and the total distance it ran

1 answer

To find the displacement, we need to find the net distance and direction from the starting point to the final position of the mouse.

The mouse runs 5 m north, then runs back 1 m south, so the net distance in the north-south direction is 5 m - 1 m = 4 m south.

Then, it turns west and runs 3 m under the sofa, so the distance in the west direction is 3 m.

Since the mouse did not move in the east direction, the displacement in the east-west direction is 0 m.

Therefore, the displacement of the mouse is 0 m (east-west) + 4 m (north-south) = 4 m south.

To find the total distance, we need to sum up all the distances traveled.

The mouse runs 5 m north + 1 m south + 3 m west, so the total distance is 5 m + 1 m + 3 m = 9 m.

Therefore, the displacement of the mouse is 4 m south, and the total distance it ran is 9 m.