A dynamics cart on a straight track begins at position
PHYSICS · Multi-part · CBSE · Physics · Motion in a Plane · Motion in a Plane
Problem
A dynamics cart on a straight track begins at position x=0. It subsequently undergoes the following sequential displacements along the x-axis:
• +35cm
• −48cm
• +22cm
• an unknown displacement dx
After the four legs, the cart is measured to be at position x=−15cm.
(a) Determine the value of the unknown displacement dx. Report both its algebraic sign and its magnitude with an accompanying direction statement.
(b) Calculate the total distance travelled by the cart during all four legs.
(c) Compare the magnitude of the cart’s resultant displacement to the magnitudes of the individual leg displacements. Explain, with reference to one-dimensional vector addition, why the resultant can be smaller than several of the individual legs.