dispacement and distance

Question

A man moves 6 m east, stops, turns around, and moves 2 m west. What is his final position? How far did he travel? *

Answer 1

Let's say he starts at 0m. If he first walks 6m East (and we think of east as a positive direction), his position becomes 6m. Then he walks 2m West (West being negative) so he ends up moving 2m back towards the 0 point. Thus his final position is 4m East.

Final Position = Starting position + First Trip + Second Trip

Final Position = 0 + 6m - 2m

Final Position = 4m East