A balloon drifts 30 m toward the east in 10 s; then the wind suddenly changes and the balloon flies 50 m toward the west in the next 5 s. What was its displacement during the first 10 s?

Question

Physics

Silas Escobar

4 April, 11:49

A balloon drifts 30 m toward the east in 10 s; then the wind suddenly changes and the balloon flies 50 m toward the west in the next 5 s. What was its displacement during the first 10 s?

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Answers (1)

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Lance Bell · Answer 1

30 m east

Explanation:

Displacement is a vector that connects the initial position of an object with its final position. Being a vector, it has both a magnitude and a direction.

In this problem:

- The balloon first travels 30 m towards east, in the first 10 s

- Then it flies 50 m towards west in the next 5 s

We are asked to find the displacement in the first 10 s; this means that we can focus only on the first part of the motion.

The magnitude of the displacement in the first 10 s is given and it is 30 m, while the direction is east, so the answer is

30 m east