A train leaving Albuquerque travels 285 miles, due east, to Amarillo. The train spends a couple of days at the station in Amarillo and then heads back west 114 miles where it stops in Tucumcari. Suppose the positive x direction points to the east and Albuquerque is at the origin of this axis. Give both answers in appropriate SI units.

Question

(a) What is the total distance traveled by the train from Albuquerque to Tucumcari?

(b) What is the displacement of the train for the entire journey? (Indicate the direction with the sign of your answer.)

Answer 1

distance = speed * time
displacement = position at end - position at start. Use the usual distance formula (aka the Pythagorean Theorem)