An aircraft passenger moves from a position of 6.0 m to a position of 2.0 m along the cabin, with forward taken as positive. What is his displacement?
A-4.0 m, that is towards the rear
B+8.0 m, that is towards the front
C-2.0 m, that is towards the rear
D+4.0 m, that is towards the front
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: A. -4.0 m, that is towards the rear
1. Displacement equals final position minus initial position.
2. Substitute the values: 2.0 m - 6.0 m = -4.0 m.
3. The minus sign shows the motion is towards the rear of the cabin.
4. Ignoring the sign and quoting +4.0 m loses the direction that displacement carries.
_Source: OpenStax College Physics (CC BY 4.0), Ch 2 "Kinematics", section 2.1 Displacement_
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