If you ride your bike around the block and return to the exact point where you started what is your displacement?

Answer 1

Well, if you traveled a distance of, lets say, one million miles, then your displacement would be zero. That is the difference between distance and displacement. Distance is the total area of which you have moved, commonly expressed by using miles or kilometers. While displacement is the DISTANCE between your starting point and end point.

Answer 2

Well, you've ridden 500 m in one direction, then you have spent an unknown distance turning around to get the bike pointing back in the direction that it came from, then you've ridden 500 m back again. So total distance traveled is 500 m + 500 m + the turn.

You could calculate the distance for the turn by assuming that you're using the whole with of the road for the turn, and that the turn is shaped like a half-circle. Calculate the circumference of a circle with the same diameter as the width of the road, then take half of that.

Or make it easy. After 500 m, put feet down, lift bike a little. Rotate 180 degrees on the spot. Put bike down, get on, ride back. Total distance traveled 500 + 500 = 1000 m.

Answer 3

The distance is greater than the displacement, because you have returned to the same point at which you began. This makes the displacement 0 and the distance 1,000 meters.

Answer 4

greater than