SUMMARY
The displacement of a car driven 140 km west and then 30 km southwest is calculated to be 162.5 km at an angle of approximately 11.5° south of west. To determine this, one must break down the movements into their vector components. The resultant displacement vector is derived by adding the westward and southward components, utilizing trigonometric functions to find the angle.
PREREQUISITES
- Understanding of vector addition
- Knowledge of trigonometric functions (sine, cosine, tangent)
- Ability to decompose vectors into components
- Familiarity with basic geometry concepts
NEXT STEPS
- Study vector addition techniques in physics
- Learn how to resolve vectors into components
- Explore trigonometric identities and their applications in physics
- Practice problems involving displacement and direction in two dimensions
USEFUL FOR
Students in physics, engineers working with motion analysis, and anyone interested in understanding displacement and vector calculations in real-world scenarios.
