A student begins at corner of a rectangular playground whose length is and breadth is

PHYSICS · Multi-part · A Level · Physics · Mechanics and materials · Mechanics and materials

Problem

A student begins at corner

A

of a rectangular playground whose length

AB

120\,\text{m}

and breadth

BC

90\,\text{m}

. He first walks from

A

B

, then from

B

C

, and stops at

C

. (i) Find the total distance covered by the student. (ii) Calculate the magnitude of the displacement from

A

C

and state its direction with respect to side

AB

. (iii) If the student had instead walked directly from

A

C

, comment on whether the distance travelled would equal the displacement. Give a brief justification.