A spatially challenged goldfish swims along the x-axis only. Its initial position is 7.8 m. After swimming back and forth a while, it finds itself at the position 4.4 m. Calculate the fish’s displacement (including its sign).

The fish displacement was -3.4 m

Explanation:

Distance and Displacement

A moving object constantly travels some distance at defined periods of time. The total moved distance is the sum of each individual distance the object traveled. It can be written as:

dtotal=d1+d2+d3+...+dn

This sum is obtained independently of the direction the object moves.

The displacement only takes into consideration the initial and final points of the path defined by the object in its moving. The displacement, unlike distance, is a vectorial magnitude and can be even zero if the object starts and ends the movement at the same point.

The displacement, when the object moves in one axis only is given by:

d = final position - initial position

We know the fist started at 7.8 m from a given reference along the x-axis.

After some undisclosed movements, it ends up at the position 4.4 m. Thus, the displacement is:

d = 4.4 m - 7.8 m = -3.4 m

This means the fish ended up to the left of the position it started from.

The fish displacement was -3.4 m

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explanation:

conservation of mass

mass before something happens = mass afterwards