Question

1. a student walks 30 meters east, then turns around and walks 20 meters west. calculate the total distance covered by the student and the displacement from the starting point.

Explanation:

Step1: Calculate total distance

Total distance is sum of path lengths.
$30 + 20=50$ (meters)

Step2: Calculate displacement

Displacement is straight - line distance from start to end. East is positive and west is negative. So displacement is $30+( - 20)=10$ (meters)

Answer:

Total distance: 50 meters
Displacement: 10 meters