Question

Find net displacement if an airplane flies at 600 m south and 500 meters north and 1200 meters upwards.
 

Answer 1

To find the net displacement, we need to consider both the direction and magnitude of each displacement. 
The airplane flies 600 meters south, which we can represent as -600 m (negative because it's in the opposite direction of a positive reference direction). 
The airplane then flies 500 meters north, which we can represent as +500 m. 
Finally, the airplane flies 1200 meters upwards, which we can represent as +1200 m. 
To find the net displacement, we add up this displacements: 
Net displacement = -600 m + 500 m + 1200 m 
Calculating the sum: 
Net displacement = 500 m + 1200 m - 600 m 
Net displacement = 1700 m - 600 m 
Net displacement = 1100 m 
Therefore, the net displacement of the airplane is 1100 meters.