Question 3
x (m)
0
0
-400
-400
y (m)
0
-100
-100
-300
What is the total distance the child walked from home to school?
The right answer is the one marked above.
700 m. The total distance is the sum of the three legs of the path:
AB + BC + CD = 100 m + 400 m + 200 m = 700 m
500 m is the magnitude of the displacement — the straight-line distance AD. 1200 m comes from wrongly adding the 500 m in as well; 300 m comes from forgetting the 400 m leg.