A hiker walks straight east from the camp and then walks straight back towards the…

PHYSICS · Subjective · CBSE · Physics · Motion · Motion

Problem

A hiker walks 3 km3\,\text{km} straight east from the camp and then walks 2 km2\,\text{km} straight back towards the camp along the same line. (i) Find the total distance covered by the hiker. (ii) Calculate the magnitude and direction of the hiker’s final displacement from the camp. (iii) Suppose instead that after the initial 3 km3\,\text{km} eastward walk, the hiker could choose ANY path of length 2 km2\,\text{km} (not necessarily straight back) to reach the final position. Determine the minimum and maximum possible magnitudes of displacement from the camp after completing both legs of the walk. Support your answers with clear reasoning.

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