To calculate the total displacement of an object that moves in various directions, we need to consider the starting and ending points of the object’s journey.
1. **Movement Breakdown**:
- The object starts at a point, let’s call it Point A.
- It moves 40 meters north to Point B.
- From Point B, it moves 40 meters west to Point C.
- From Point C, it moves 40 meters south to Point D.
- Finally, it moves 40 meters east to return to Point A.
2. **Visualizing the Path**:
If you visualize or sketch this path, you’ll see that the object traces out a square: starting from Point A, moving north, then west, then south, and finally east. Each leg of the journey is equal in length (40 meters) and leads back to the original starting point.
3. **Calculating Displacement**:
Displacement is defined as the shortest straight-line distance from the initial position to the final position, along with the direction of that line. Since the object returns to its original position (Point A), the total displacement is:
0 meters
The reason is that although the object has traveled a total distance of:
40 m (north) + 40 m (west) + 40 m (south) + 40 m (east) = 160 meters, its final position is the same as its starting position.
In conclusion, the total displacement of the object after completing this journey is 0 meters. This demonstrates an essential principle in physics: displacement is concerned with overall position change, not the distance traveled.