resulting from the three successive displacements is
calculated in x and y components as
On Page 3, the overall displacement resulting from the three successive displacements is
calculated in x and y components as
= (-35, 20) m.
What is the magnitude d of the displacement?
The components dx and dy and the
vector form a right-angle triangle,
with as the hypotenuse. Therefore,
the magnitude d of is given
by the Pythagorean theorem,
Compare this to the total distance s traveled in the three straight-line displacements:
s = |-15 - (-10)| + |-15 - 20| + |15 - (-20)| = 5 + 35 + 35 = 75 m.
In general, the distance traveled is greater than the magnitude of the displacement. It is never less. The distance traveled is equal to the magnitude of the displacement if and only if the path traveled is a straight line and the motion is always in the same direction.