Answer to Question #166186 in Physics for gibson

Question

From Lecture theater 2, Mr. James moves 80m east along the sheltered walk path way and then 125m south to the university library. Find the displacement of Mr James

Answer 1

Since east and west directions are perpendicular to each other, the trajectory of Mr. James forms the legs of the right triangle. The hypotenuse of this triangle is the displacement.

Using the Pythagorean's theorem find:

$$d = \sqrt{80^2 + 125^2} \approx 148.4m$$

Answer. 148.4 m.