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How do you find the total displacement for a trip that involves turn arounds?

You decide to get some extra exercise by biking to school in the morning, and your school happens to be 4 miles from your house. So you get up in the morning and bike toward school, but you overshoot it, and you end up 20 miles away from your home. Then you quickly turn around and get back to school all in time for your first class. What is the total displacement of your path from your home to the school?

Summary

  1. H- home
  2. S- school
  3. T- turn-around
  4. mi- miles
  5. d with an arrow- displacement vector
  6. x- the position
  7. The displacement points in the positive direction

Notes

    1. d with an arrow- the displacement vector
    2. x- the variable for position
    1. Let's call the direction from home to school as the positive direction.
    1. d with an arrow- the displacement vector
    1. d with an arrow- the displacement vector
    2. the displacement vector points directly from home to school, and has a length of 4 miles