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Chapter 2: Problem 3

You check your odometer at the beginning of a day's driving and again at the end. Under what conditions would the difference between the two readings represent your displacement?

Short Answer

Expert verified
The difference between the two odometer readings would represent your displacement if the car has moved in a straight line (either forward or backward) from the initial reading to the final reading, without any change in direction.

Step by step solution

01

Understanding displacement

Displacement, in physics, refers to the change in position of an object. When we discuss displacement in one dimension (like in this problem, considering only forward and backward motion), we talk about the distance 'directly' from the starting point to the ending point, regardless of the 'path' taken.
02

Interpreting odometer readings

The odometer of a car tracks the distance the car has traveled. However, it does not keep a record of the direction of the motion or any changes in it. The difference between the final and initial odometer reading gives us the total distance the car has traveled.
03

Determining when odometer readings represent displacement

The difference between the final and initial odometer reading would represent displacement only under the condition that the car has moved in a straight line (either forward or backward) from the initial reading to the final reading. Any deviations from this straight path (like if the car turned in any direction), would mean that the odometer reading is recording distance and not displacement.

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