A lecturer paces along a straight line from a position of 1.5 m to a position of 3.5 m, with motion to the right taken as positive. What is her displacement?
A+2.0 m, that is to the right
B+3.5 m, that is to the right
C+5.0 m, that is to the right
D-2.0 m, that is to the left
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: A. +2.0 m, that is to the right
1. Displacement equals final position minus initial position.
2. Substitute the values: 3.5 m - 1.5 m = +2.0 m.
3. The plus sign means the motion is to the right in this coordinate system.
4. Adding the two positions gives 5.0 m, which is the trap in one of the options.
_Source: OpenStax College Physics (CC BY 4.0), Ch 2 "Kinematics", section 2.1 Displacement_
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