Answer:
a) The distance covered halfway = 16.49 [m], while the displacement at that point = 10.5 [m]b)
The distance traveled increases
when the child finishes one lap around the track.
Step-by-step explanation:
a)
Distance is a scalar measurement
that indicates how much ground an object has traversed in motion. Contrarily, displacement is a vector measurement which describes how far an object is from its original position after moving.
In this scenario, the child travels halfway around the circular track from point 1 to point 2. We know that the circumference or perimeter of a circle can be calculated as 2*PI*radius. Since the child only covers half the distance, we need to divide the circumference by 2, leading to distance = PI*radius
The halfway distance = (PI)*(5.25) = 16.49 [m]
Considering the definition of displacement, it’s clear that the distance from point 1 to point 2 equals one diameter from the starting point:
The halfway displacement = D = 2*radius = 2(5.25) = 10.5 [m]
b) What occurs to the distance after the child completes one full circuit? The distance will increase since the child covers more ground during the full lap:
- The distance for one circuit = 2*(PI)*radius = 2(PI)(5.25) = 32.99 [m]
32.99 is greater than 16.49, confirming that the distance does indeed increase.