All GED Science Resources
Example Questions
Example Question #3 : Physics
A car drives miles east and miles north. What is the total displacement of the car?
Possible Answers:
Correct answer:
Explanation:
The car has covered a total distance of miles, however, displacement and distance are not the same thing. Distance is simply the measure of how far the car have moved, regardless of direction. Displacement is a vector quantity, and takes direction into account. Displacement measures the total distance only between the car's starting point and ending point.
To solve this question, it is best to draw a sketch. The resulting sketch will be a right triangle with the hypotenuse equal to the displacement. The Pythagorean Theorem can be used to solve the problem.
All GED Science Resources
Popular Subjects
French Tutors in Houston, LSAT Tutors in Los Angeles, SAT Tutors in Chicago, Calculus Tutors in Seattle, GRE Tutors in Atlanta, Statistics Tutors in Miami, Biology Tutors in Los Angeles, Chemistry Tutors in Chicago, Algebra Tutors in San Francisco-Bay Area, GMAT Tutors in San Francisco-Bay Area
Popular Courses & Classes
SSAT Courses & Classes in Phoenix, ISEE Courses & Classes in Philadelphia, LSAT Courses & Classes in Washington DC, LSAT Courses & Classes in Miami, GMAT Courses & Classes in Washington DC, ISEE Courses & Classes in Miami, Spanish Courses & Classes in Washington DC, SSAT Courses & Classes in Denver, MCAT Courses & Classes in Boston, MCAT Courses & Classes in Atlanta