Distance and Displacement

Question

What is the final position of a robot that starts from (0, 0) m and makes displacements of (4, 4) m, (3, 3) m, and (−4, −2) m *

Answer 1

Let's think about all the distance traveled in the x-direction (only "x"; we'll do "y" in a minute). It travels 4 then 3 then -4. 4 + 3 + -4 = 3 so the total distance traveled in the x-direction is 3 meters.

The distance traveled in the y-direction is 4 then 3 then -2, so 4 + 3 + -2 = 5 so the total distance traveled in the y-direction is 5 meters.

The final position then would be (3, 5) m