Position, distance and displacement

A super racing car is at rest at t=0 at x = -49.7 m. (If you don't see the car appearing on the track, please refresh (click the button above) the browser window; anyway wait till the applet loads completely)

 

Script by Dr. Mohamed S. Kariapper using Physlets from

Pres the "Play" button to make the car move. You can use the VCR buttons "pause", step>>" and "<<step" to pause, step forward and step backward. "reset" to start over again. You can read the time and the x-coordinate at any point by pausing the animation.

Answer the following questions about the motion of this racing car:

  1. What is the distance traveled by the car from start (t=0) to finish (t=12)?
  2. What is the displacement of the car from start to finish?
  3. What is the position of the car at t= 5.2 s?
  4. What is the position of the car at t= 9.5 s?
  5. What is the distance the car travels from t = 5.2 s to t = 9.5 s?
  6. What is the displacement of the car from t = 5.2 s to t = 9.5 s?
  7. What is the displacement of the car from t = 6.9 s to t = 12 s?
  8. Can displacement be negative?
  9. Can the distance be negative?