Question

6.a hiker walks 8 kilometers west, then 3 kilometers south, and finally 8 kilometers east. what is the displacement?\boxed{} kilometers

Explanation:

Step1: Analyze east-west motion

The hiker walks 8 km west, then 8 km east. These two motions cancel each other out:
$8\ \text{km west} + 8\ \text{km east} = 0\ \text{net east-west displacement}$

Step2: Isolate north-south motion

The only remaining motion is 3 km south, which is unopposed:
$\text{Net displacement} = 3\ \text{km south}$

Answer:

3 kilometers south