Kinematics problem-finding total distance

[Violagirl]

Homework Statement

A particle moving at 5 m/s reverses its direction in 1 s to move at 5 m/s in the opposite direction. If its acceleration is constant, what distance does it travel?

A) 1.25 m

B) 2.5 m

C) 5 m

D) 10 m

Homework Equations

d = 1/2 (v₀ + v)t

The Attempt at a Solution

Since we need to find d:
d = 1/2 (5 + (-5+)(1)

d = 0

This clearly was off...I was going to see if someone would be able to help me understand this problem better.

 

[dauto]

You're right. May be they want the total distance traveled instead of the displacement that you correctly calculated.

 

[haruspex]

May be they want the total distance traveled instead of the displacement that you correctly calculated.

Yes, distance is a scalar, so generally it means $\int|\vec v|.dt$. Displacement is a vector, $\int\vec v.dt$