Question

Starting from the center of town, a car travels east for 80.0 km and then turns due south for another 192 km, at which point it runs out of gas. Determine the displacement of the stopped car from the center of town.

Answer 1

The displacement is denoted by $\mathbf{d}$ on the figure above. According to the Pythagorean theorem, it's magnitude will be:

$$d = \sqrt{80^2 + 192^2} = 208\space km$$

Answer. 208 km.